Un Expected Miracles
by ghfan51184
Summary: Dante surprises Lulu by returning to her quicker than he thought. How will he react when he discovers Lulu has an unexpected surprise of her own?
1. Chapter 1

Un Expected Miracles

Chapter 1

After a long day at work, Lulu wanted to plan a romantic dinner for Dante. He had been going through a lot with Mike's worsening condition, and the drama with Michael, detective Chase and Nelle. As Lulu began cooking dinner, she started to light some candles to set the mood. Charlotte and Rocco were spending the night with Olivia, so she had the night reserved for dante. She figured she would send him a quick text to let him know she was cooking a nice dinner for the two of them, but realized that he was still working. When he came home, he seemed pretty preoccupied and had a far away expression on his face. Lulu went to him and gave him a hug.

"Dante? What's wrong? You seem preoccupied."

"I have something to tell you, but I'm starving and would like to sit and have dinner with you first" he said kissing her.

Lulu's mind started wandering. While she loved Dante wanting to have dinner with her, that wasn't unusual, but he was acting weird, and she would find out what it is.

"Honey, of course, we can have dinner together. We do that every night, unless you're working late. What's going on?"

"I'll tell you soon. What are you making?"

"I'm making raviolis because it's quick and work was long. I had to cover a lot of stories today."

"Please tell me that one of them isn't about Peter August."

"Dante, we've been through this. There are some things as a reporter that I can't tell you, just like they're some things as a cop that you can't tell me. Let's do our jobs and if there's something that we need to worry about, we can deal with it; okay?"

"You're right. Want some wine baby?"

"You read my mind. Set the table because dinner's gonna be ready soon."

As Dante set the table, Lulu finished cooking. Dante was admiring the effort Lulu put into this night by looking at the candles. How could he ruin this beautiful night? Then, his thoughts got the better of him. He was continuing to think about the night he found Lulu in the water when she was at the Haunted Star. After thinking about that night, he went to the kitchen to get the glasses. He then poured the wine as Lulu dished out the raviolis on their plates.

"Yumm! These are really good! Thanks baby."

"You're welcome. So, can you tell me what's going on with you?"

Dante sighed before speaking.

"Well, there's something I need to tell you. I've been asked to go on a special assignment. It's a temporary transfer."

"A temporary transfer for what? Is it a specific case or something?"

"Yeah, you could say that. Do you remember the man who tried to drown you when you were living on the Haunted Star? The WSB found his location and they are requesting me to go find him."

"Yeah, but that was two years ago Dante. Why do they need you? I'd rather have someone else do the job than have you leave."

"I know, but Lulu, I want to do this. I have to. When I saw you in that water and I thought I could lose you, I promised I'd do whatever I could to keep you safe. I'm the only one who can do this job."

"When do you leave?"

"I have to leave tonight."

"How much time do we have?"

"We have plenty of time. We have time to say goodbye. Let's make it count."

With no hesitation, Lulu and Dante made love, and they made the most of it. The sex was just as amazing as when they made love for the first time. Dante got off the couch and made a phone call to Olivia and Sonny. His first call was to Olivia.

Olivia answered on the first ring when she noticed it was Dante.

"Hi Honey. Before you say anything, Rocco and Charlotte are fine. They're having a great time playing with Leo."

"Ma, that's great. I need to tell you something."

Olivia was already thinking the worsed. Could something be wrong with Dante? What would she do?

"Oh no! Are you sick? Are you dying? Did Sonny have anything to do with this? What's going on honey. You better—"

"Ma, stop. You'll make yourself crazy. I'm going on a special assignment. That's all I can tell you. It's away from Port Charles. I'm leaving tonight. I wanted to call to say goodbye."

Olivia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Dante was leaving his family behind. She knew that if it meant keeping everyone safe, she'd have to support his decisions, but how could he leave now, especially since he had his family with Lulu, Rocco and Charlotte?

"Dante Angelo Falconeri. You are my son, and I love you, and I don't regret a single thing about how I've raised you, but honey, why do you have to leave, especially now that things are going so well with you and Lulu?"

"Ma, I know, it's hard to swallow. I just found this out a little while ago. I have an opportunity to do something different, and I'm going to take it. That's all I can say. It's a special assignment. It's a special mission and don't worry; I'll be safe. I know that yu and Lulu wouldn't have it any other way."

"I've never questioned that you wouldn't be safe, but as your mother, I'm always gonna worry about you. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. It's a temporary transfer, and when the assignment's done, I'll come home."

"good. Well, listen. Lulu and I will make sure that rocco and Charlotte are properly cared for and that they're safe."

"I know you will. Thank you. Ma, I have to go because I wanna spend as much time with Lulu as I can okay? I love you. You did good raising me the way you did, and I couldn't ask for a better mother. It's you and me against the world as you always say, and I'll never forget that. I'll never forget the courage it took for you to raise me in the circumstances you were under."

"Oh honey. Thank you. I love you with all my heart and soul. I'm so proud of the man you've become. You've made a great life for yourself and I can't take all the credit, but I'm proud to say that I've raised you right. You found a great girl in Lulu, and you have great kids. Want me to send you some food?"

"no. I'm good."

"Okay. I'll let you go so that you can spend the rest of the time with Lulu. I love you Dante."

"I love you too Ma."

He hung up on Olivia and called Sonny. He didn't keep Sonny too long because he was dealing with Mike. Mike said goodbye to him too. Dante and Lulu made love again after having dessert and detective Chase knocked on the door.

"Hey man, I'm gonna need you to hold down the fort at the PcPD."

"Why?"

"I'm leaving. Special assignment."

"Really? Congratulations. Did you tell the police commissioner?"

"Yup."

"Okay well, in the short time I've gotten to know you, you taught me a lot, so thanks."

"You're welcome man. Good luck with Nelle."

"Thanks. Bye."

He walked out the door and then, dante and lulu spent the rest of the time reminiscing about happier times, such as when they met. Then, Dante got the text saying they were waiting for him.

"They're waiting for me. I love you Leslie Lu."

"I love you too."

They kissed passionately as Lulu cried. She told Dante that she would tell the kids that he was doing good work to help people, because that's what good people do. He told her that he would call when he could and walked out. As he closed the door, Lulu was thinking about the time they met at Jakes, which is now called the Floating Rib. She spent the whole night crying. She was hoping Dante conveniently forgot something and would have to come back, but no. He was gone and to her, it seemed as though he was gone forever.

As Dante drove to where he was meeting someone from the WSB, he cried the whole way. He felt badly for leaving, and he didn't know when he was coming back. He hated abandoning Lulu and the kids this way, or at least, that's what he felt he was doing and wanted to make it up to them somehow. He vowed to himself that when he came back, he would never take assignments like this again. He wanted the man to pay for almost killing his wife and pay he would, and if he was the one to do it, then, so be it. He texted Lulu to say he loved her and she responded back. As he pulled into a coffee shop, he saw Robert Scorpio.

"Dante! Good to see you. Now, I'm going to tell you everything you need to know before you go meet the man who tried to drown Lulu. Let's go to the hotel and we can discuss a plan okay?"

Robert was a pro at this kind of stuff, so Dante though he didn't particularly like doing stuf like this, he knew he was in good hands. Once they gotthe a specific location, Robert would create a diversion if anyone got in their way. Dante would go in and get some information from him before letting him know who he is. Once he established a good relationship with him, he would confront him and hopefully kill the bastard. Dante loved this because he was hoping it wouldn't take very long at all to do it. First, Dante had to step out of his comfort zone and Robert was the perfect person to help him do that. Plus, he had great experience with doing undercover work when he was working for Sonny. They talked about Lulu and the kids for a moment, and Robert was surprised that being with Luke Spencer's daughter, he didn't learn a few tricks that Lulu knew. He wasn't worried though; he knew that as a detective Dante liked doing things for the most part by the book and didn't always like all this adventure. He was asked to do this task and if this was how he was gonna get revenge on him, he'd do it.

The next day, Lulu woke up. She hadn't slept at all last night because she had been crying all night. She couldn't believe Dante was leaving and didn't know when he'd be back. She managed to get herself a cup of coffee before heading to Arora Media. While she was heading there, she saw Maxie.

"Lulu! Hi! How are you? I wanted to let you know that baby James is coming home soon! Isn't that great? I'm still on maternity leave, but I just wanted to check in with Nina to see how things were going, because you know how much she misses me and she knows that there's nobody who can do the job as good as me, so, oh my God. Lulu, you're crying. What's wrong?"

"Dante left me last night. He's going on a special assignment, and he doesn't know when he'll be back."

"No! He can't leave you! What's the matter with him? Don't worry. I'll tell my Dad to bring him back to you. This is wrong. Why do all the good ones have to leave? Oh my God! I just had a sick thought. We can bond over this because we both know what it's like to lose our husbands."

"Maxie, that's sick, and it's different circumstances. Nathan's dead, and that's horrible, but Dante's still alive. So, I'm not sure why you think we can bond over this. You already forgave me, so we're good."

Suddenly, Maxie began to think about what she was saying. Lulu was right; their situations were completely different; dante was alive whileNathan was dead, so bonding would be pointless. How could she ever think they could be friends? Oh wait. They'd be friends, but because Nathan was dead and Lulu in Maxie's mind was still partially to blame for it, there would always be that rift.

"no. You're right Lulu. Bonding over this would be pointless. I'm sorry I even suggested it. I'm gonna go see Nina now. Bye."

"Maxie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem insensitive to your situation."

"You weren't. I was just thinking about things and had that random thought. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I have plenty of support. I talked to Mom for a while last night. I didn't sleep though, but work will distract me."

"That's good. Well, I'm here if you wanna talk. I'm sorry Dante's being a jerk."

"Maxie, he's not a jerk. He went on a special assignment. That's all, so can you stop saying he's a jerk? He's doing this to keep us safe as a family."

"Family? You raising the kids alone isn't a family. I'm calling Dad and having—"

"Maxie, don't, and before you go talking about Nina and Valentin and how they've brought up Charlotte before I had custody of her to me, I don't wanna hear it. We've adjusted and things are going fine between all of us. We've been able to work out a schedule that works for us. Dante's doing a job, and do I like that he's gone? No, but as long as he'll come home to me, then, I'm going to support him."

"Okay fine. Call me later."

"I will. I want to see the baby when he's home, but I'll wait until he's settled first."

"Oh my God Lulu! No!I want you to see him right when I bring him home."

"okay. Bye Maxie."

Maxie hugged Lulu and then walked into Nina's office. If she were being honest with herself, Maxie was happy to have her best friend back. She missed Lulu and though she knew that Lulu didn't kil Nathan, she let her anger get the better of her and that was wrong. Lulu loved Nathan too and Maxie knew that.

Lulu went to Arora Media to continue working on Kiki's case against Dr. bench. She got a lot of people to come forward with their stories. The more people she interviewed for the story, the more she hoped the message would get across that sexual harassment on anyone isn't okay. By all these women speaking out against Dr. Bench, she hoped their stories would encourage others to face their attackers head on by getting them convicted of asalt. She thought about interviewing Michael for a man's perspective as well as Sam, but they both declined, and that was okay. Her story was getting out there and that's what she wanted.

The next day, Maxie was getting ready to bring baby James home. Mac and Falicia wer at the hospital and Lulu offered to help get the house in order. Anything was better than coming home to an empty house while the kids were out playing withLeo now that the summer had started. Both Charlotte and Rocco were happy that school was out and while Lulu was working, Olivia had offered to take them. If she had to be in the house alone, she would think about Dante, and while she loved thinking about him, she was always sad and would cry the more she would think about him not being there with her, so cleaning the apartment for Maxie was a welcome distraction. She prepared some bottles that Maxie had in the house and saw a bottle of champagne that looked to be imported somewhere ordered by Nina as a gift. She thought that would be perfect to welcome little James home. As Maxie, Mac and Falicia all came in carrying things for the baby, Lulu quietly greeted them all because the baby was sleeping.

"oh my God! Maxie, he's absolutely adorable. I know I saw him on the webcam at the hospital, but that doesn't do justice. Can I hold him?"

"Sure! In fact, I'd love it if you could hold him for me while I freshen up. Look at me. I feel like crap."

"Maxie, sweetheart, you look beautiful" Falicia said while walking to Maxie's room.

"Hi baby James, I'm your Aunt Lulu. I want you to know that I love you so much and I will always be there for you, whenever you need me okay? You're so precious and I wish your Uncle Dante and your Dad were here to see you" she said while placing kisses all over his head.

A few minutes later after Maxie and Falicia helped get things set up for the baby, Mac finally spoke upwhen they came out.

"Okay everyone, I want to propose a toast. To Maxie. Sweetheart, you had a rough year with Nathan dying, but this little guy here proves the circle of life. When someone dies, a baby's always being born, and that's what happened here, so, to Maxie and James Malcom West!"

Everyone joined in with the clinking of the glasses and saying here here. Then, the baby made an announcement of his own.

"I think my boy's getting hungry. Come here baby boy" Maxie said taking him out of lulu's arms.

"Maxie, there's a bottle in the fridge. All you need to do is heat it up for about thirty seconds or so. Just enough to keep it warm."

"thanks Lulu. How do you know about this? It's not like you had Rocco when he was a newborn baby."

"No, but I babysat for Lucky and Elizabeth often enough with Cam and Jake. Plus, I got to see Nikolas taking care of Spencer and Rocco when he was raising him with Britt."

"Oh yeah. I'll never understand what Nikolas saw in that bit… um bad woman. I forgot. Gotta watch the language around my son."

They both laughed before Maxie went to heat the bottle up for James.

"Okay guys, on that note, I'm gonna go and get Charlotte and Rocco. Maxie, I'm so proud of you. I love you so much and have missed you so much. If you need anything, even if it's a 2:AM feeding, I'm on it. I've been having trouble sleeping ever since Dante's been gone."

"I'm so sorry Lulu. Okay, I'll call you."

She said her goodbyes to Mac and Falicia and left. That night, she ordered pizza for Rocco and Charlotte. She loved having them around especially before they went to sleep. As she read them a story, they both quickly fell asleep. She carried them one at a time up to bed and told them Dante loved them both and gave them two kisses; a kiss from her and a kiss from Dante. He called her once to say he had made it, and asked of the kids, but for the moment, that's all he could do. It felt good to talk to him. As she left Rocco and Charlotte's room, she poured herself a glass of wine and watched a show on Netflix. She wanted a distraction because the house was too quiet and there usually was nothing on TV. She eventually turned the show off the sleepier she got and fell asleep on the couch.


	2. Chapter 2

Un Expected Miracles

Chapter 2

By the time August rolled around, Dante's mission was over. He was able to find the man who attempted to kill Lulu where he was arrested. Dante wanted Robert to make sure that he could never come back to Port Charles ever again. Dante wasn't taking any chances for anyone threatening his family, especially Lulu. Dante trusted Robert to make that happen, and he did. Robert decided to celebrate with Dante before he left to go back to Port Charles.

"Hey, can I get you dinner and a drink to celebrate your successful mission? I'm impressed that you were able to do this without anyone getting badly hurt."

"Sure. I have to make a phone call though, so when we go back to the hotel, you can get me dinner and adrink."

As Robert drove them to the hotel, Dante made a call to Laura who also helped with taking care of the kids for Lulu. Laura answered on the forth ring.

"Dante! Hi Honey, how are you? In case you're wondering, Lulu and the kids are fine."

"Good. I'm glad they're fine. I wasn't calling to find out how they were; I need a favor. The assignment is over, and I'd like to surprise Lulu by coming home on her birthday. So, when I get to New York, I'm gonna stay at a hotel near Bensonhurst."

"Oh okay. I think you surprising Lulu by coming home on her birthday is a wonderful surprise! She'll probably get angry that I knew and didn't tell her, but it will be worth it to see her face when you walk through the door."

"One more favor I need from you. Don't mention this to my mother either because she'll tell lulu."

"I don't know anything about a surprise. As far as I'm concerned, you're still on your mission and you don't know when you'll return. By the way, are you alright?"

"Thanks Laura. I'm fine. I'll say hi to Robert for you okay?"

"Okay. Was Robert your trainer?"

"Yeah, and damn! He's tough, but I'm used to that because we had tough trainings at the police accadomy."

Laura laughed because she knew robert's personality and she knew he'd probably work Dante hard, being that he's a spy for the WSB.

"I can see that,and I'm glad that you're okay. When I talk to Lulu, I'm just gonna tell her that I talked to you, and you said that you miss her and the kids and love them all."

"Thanks Laura. Please tell Lulu and the kids I love them okay?"

"I will. Dante, take care and we can't wait to see you. Lulu's been a mess since you left. She tries to say she's fine, but I know my daughter. She's hurting inside."

"I know. I get sad each time I think about what she's doing and the fact that I'm not with her. I hated leaving her when everything's been so good for us."

"Honey, you were doing a job. Don't feel guilty about that. You'll be home sooner than you know it, and you can go back to the way things were before you left."

"Thanks. Bye."

"Bye honey."

Robert treated Dante to an Italian restaurant and bought him a couple of glasses of vodka on ice.

"Hey Dante, I have to say that even though you're a detective, I'm impressed with how you handled everything with that bastard. You showed incredible restraint when you could have killed him and you didn't. I want you to know that if you ever want to work for the WSB, I'll always put in a good word for you."

"Thanks Robert, but I like my job just fine."

"Ah, so this was just personal for you then. Okay well, the offer still stands."

"Thank you. Don't get me wrong, this was cool, but I'm not that big on all this stuff. Sometimes, you do things that could get you arrested and I don't always like taking risks like that, especially since I have two small kids."

"I know. I was Police Commissioner for a while. Did you know that?"

"Um… not sure. Were you Police commissioner when sonny was working in the Mob?"

"No, but I can see where that could get complicated for you being that you're the son of a gangster. I'm not too crazy about the Mob. In fact, I was trying to clean up Port Charles, because the bloody Mob was becoming a problem."

Dante laughed at Robert.

"Oh Robert, man, I know the feeling. Anyway, thank you for giving me this opportunity. It was definitely an experience."

"I was glad to hear that you had accepted the assignment and when I knew who it was, I had a good feeling about you. I like you Dante, and it's not just because you're married to my best friend's daughter."

"Thanks. I like you too."

"Hey Dante. When you get to Port Charles, can you tell Anna I said hi? I'm not sure when I'll come back. I'm going to come back eventually, but I don't know when."

"Okay. Will do."

After they ate dinner and dante had dessert, Robert and Dante decided to go back to the hotel. Tomorrow, Dante would have a long way to where he parked his car.

The next day, Dante and Robert got up early. He got Dante some breakfast with a cup of coffee. As they left to go to where Dante's car was parked, they talked a lot again. Dante really liked Robert. He liked that though he loved adventure, he also knew right from wrong and could understand Dante's many conflictions where the Mob was concerned. They agreed on a lot, especially the Mob. Robert was hoping he'd convert Dante into a WSB agent, but no such luck and that was fine. Dante and Robert talked about the kids and what robin was like as a child. Robert really missed those days when Robin was little.

Then, Dante saw his car. He patted Robert on the shoulder and made it to Bensonhurst for a few days.

During the first week of August, there was a huge heat wave all through New York. Lulu worked long hours at Arora media because Peter was demanding a lot of her time. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, especially seeing as she knew he was really Henrik Faison and lied to everyone, including Maxie. This particular day seemed especially stressful and exhausting for Lulu, and she didn't really know why. Nina had generously given Maxie the day off, so she figured she would take Charlotte and Rocco off Laura or Olivia's hands now that James was home and getting bigger. Maxie decided that she would take the kids to lunch, and as they were at the Metro court, they would stop and see Lulu.

After lunch, Charlotte ran into Arora Media where she saw Lulu at her desk. Lulu looked exhausted which worried her.

"Aunt Maxie, Mommy looks really tired. She's at her desk. I went to say hi to her, but she didn't even look to see who was there."

"Oh Charlotte, okay. Come on. I'll show you how to get your mother's attention okay? Let's go sweetheart."

As Maxie went into the office, Lulu was slumped over the desk.

"Lulu, hello! Lulu! Earth to lulu!"

She tapped her shoulder and she finally looked up.

"Maxie? I'm sorry. I was busy working."

"Busy working? You were sleeping at your desk. Your poor little girl was worried about you when you didn't look at her. What's the matter with you?"

"Oh my God. Charlotte and Rocco were with you and I didn't say hi? Bring them in here. I'm sorry Maxie. I've just been so busy working. Henrik is working me like a dog, which is really annoying me."

"Lulu, I don't want to hear his name, so don't mention Peter, or Henrik, or whoever the hell he is to me okay?"

"Maxie, I'm sorry. You wanted to know why I've been so tired lately and that's why. Plus, as I kept mentioning to you, things have been stressful since Dante's been gone. I don't know whether he's coming back, or if he's alive or dead."

"Oh my God. I'm sorry Lulu. I'll get the kids, but before I do, I'm bringing you a latte."

"Thanks. That's the best thing I've heard all day."

Just then, Henrik came in the office.

" Hey Lulu. You did good with this story,so yu can take the rest of the day off. I'm sorry I've been so hard on you."

"Thanks, but the things you have to say to me mean nothing, so I'd suggest that you get out and Drew or Sam get your ass fired. I'm done with you. You hurt my best friend in the worse way possible by you wearing the bullet proof vest, and killing Nathan."

"I didn't kill my brother. Our deranged Father did that."

"Yeah, but it was supposed to be you who got shot, and it should have been. Tell Maxie I'm—"

"Hey, excuse me bastard, back the hell off of Lulu and get out! I have some business to talk with her about and it doesn't concern you. By Peter, or Henrik."

She ushered him out and then brought Lulu her latte.

"Hey Maxie, why don't we go and get some ice cream with the kids okay? I'm hungry."

"Okay. Did you eat lunch yet? We did."

"Maxie, I feel like I haven't had time to go to the bathroom, much less have lunch. I can't believe that it's 6 at night already. I'm wiped."

"I know. Wanna hear what we had for lunch?"

"Okay. What did you, Rocco and Charlotte have for lunch?"

"Well, I had pesto salad, and Charlotte and Rocco had grilled cheese sandwitches. I had the waitress give me extra pesto sauce."

The thought of the salad with the extra sauce was making Lulu's stomach turn.

"Um, Lulu, you don't look so good."

"I'm sorry Maxie, I'm just gonna—Oh my God! Sorry."

Lulu ran into the bathroom as Rocco came to the lobby where Maxie was.

"aunt Maxie, is Mommy okay?"

"Oh yeah. I'm sure she'll be fine. I thought we could go get some ice cream, but I don't know how lulu's feeling."

"Yay! We want ice cream!"

"okay. I'm gonna check on your Mommy okay? Can you guys be good and not touch anything?"

"yeah."

Rocco left to go back to the game room where Charlotte was playing. Luckally for Maxie, James was sleeping and was in his carrier. She knocked on the bathroom door and there was no answer, which really concerned Maxie, so she figured she would go in the bathroom. When she went in the bathroom, she heard Lulu throwing up. She slowly went to the door.

"Lulu? Are you okay?"

Lulu finally stopped throwing up and slowly lifted her head and slowly got to her feat and opened the door.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll be eating ice cream right now. I think I'm gonna go to bed. I think I caught the stomach bug or something. Maybe, it's the heat."

"Well, how long have you been feeling like this?"

"It just happened today. Don't worry."

"Okay well, if you need anything, I'll come over. Want me to have the kids sleep with me?"

"Yeah, but let me tell them okay?"

"Okay. They're in the game room."

"Okay. Thanks Maxie."

"You're welcome."

Lulu walked to the game room where Rocco and Charlotte were playing and laughing at James because of how cute he looked in his carrier as he slept.

"Wow guys,those games look fun! I need to tell you something. You're gonna stay with Aunt Maxie tonight okay?"

"Why?" Rocco asked in concern.

"Well sweetie, I'm not feeling very well. I think the heat's getting to me. I'm old."

"Is that why you didn't say hi to me when I came over to you?"

"Yes honey. That's why and I'm so sorry" Lulu said bending down to kiss Charlotte.

"now, just because you'll be staying with Maxie doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. You can stay up a bit later because it's summer, but don't push it okay?"

"Okay."

Just then, Maxie came to collect the kids while Lulu went home. Lulu was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep. She wanted to eat some dinner, but she couldn't even think of eating. She put on her pajamas and immediately fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillo.

As soon as Dante made it to Bensonhurst and old friends saw him, he knew that staying at a hotel wasn't gonna work, so he decided to spend the night with Lois and Brooklyn if she was home. As luck would have it, both of them were home, and of course, once Lois and Brook knew Dante was in town, they got right down to making Dante's favorite Italian dishes.

"Dante! How are you! I haven't seen you in so long."

"I know. You look good brook."

"Lois came up to Dante and gave him a hug and a kiss.

"Dante, I made some chicken Parm and eggplant parm."

"Oo! You didn't have to do that. I'm just staying here for a night, and then coming home."

"Why? Did something happen between you and Lulu?"

"Brookie, don't ask Dante questions like that" Lois said giving her a light punch.

"It's okay. I was on a special assignment. I wanted to lay low for a while because I want to surprise Lulu. Her birthday's tomorrow."

"Oh wow! That's great! Who wants wine?"

Dante and Brook both said they wanted some and Lois went to open the wine.

"This is a special Chianti imported from Italy. You can thank Brook for it."

"Yeah. I got it when I was touring Italy."

"How's that going by the way?"

"Um… I don't know. It goes good, but then, it doesn't. After I left Nikolas, a producer wanted to look at my work and work with me and that worked for a while, but then, he got fired, and I haven't had much luck in the music department. I have new songs, but nobody seems to want to promote me."

"I'm sorry, so now you're just living back at home?"

"Yeah for a while. Ma wants to help manage my career again, but that was so annoying and created so much anxiety for me."

"I'm sorry honey. I didn't mean to cause that much stress."

"It's okay."

Just then, his phone rang, and he was surprised to see that it was Maxie.

"I'm sorry guys, I gotta take this. It could be important." He walked in the other room and called Maxie back.

"Hi dante, When are you coming home? I need your help."

Dante was a little annoyed because Maxie had a nack for exasperating people and creating something small to a complete disaster.

"Hey Maxie, what's up? I got your text and your voicemail."

"I need your help. Lulu's sick."

"Maxie, I don't have time for this. If I come there and she's fine,-"

"Dante, I'm cereous. She threw up today and she looks terrible. I don't know where you are, but she's been a mess since you've been gone, and if you don't come home, I don't know what's gonna—"

"Maxie, stop. I'm sure it's a stomach bug. Don't tell her, but I'm planning to surprise her by coming home tomorrow."

"Oh my God! You're gonna surprise her on her birthday? That's so cute! Okay, I take back everything I said. I won't tell her. I promise."

"Maxie, I'm sorry I snapped at you. I've just had a long few days traveling back and I'm tired."

"Dante, don't worry about it. It's okay. I'll take care of everything to set the tone and the mood for you and Lulu."

"Okay you do that."

"Bye Dante."

"Bye maxie. Take care."

"Wait. A few people wanna say hi to you. Can you stay on the phone for a bit longer?"

"sure."

Maxie handed the phone to Rocco first.

"Hi Daddy."

"Hey buddy, how are you?"

"I'm great. Charlotte and I are staying at Maxie's because Mommy doesn't feel good."

"I heard that. Well listen buddy, I'll be home soon okay?"

"Okay. We miss your stories. Mommy always falls asleep before finishing them."

Dante chuckled as he was fighting the teers that almost dripped down his cheeks.

"Okay well, I'll be home to read to you and make pancakes for you guys okay? Can you put Charlotte on the phone buddy?"

"Sure. Dad, I love you."

"I love you too man."

He then handed the phone to Charlotte so she could say hi to dante. Dante wiped the teers away as he heard Charlotte's voice.

"Hi Dante."

"Hey Charlotte, how are you? Are you and Rocco taking care of your mother?"

"Yes, but she's sick."

"I know. Rocco told me."

"When are you coming home? Nona says she wants you to hurry home so she can make some of your favorite foods."

"Well, Charlotte, you can tell your Nona that I'll be home soon and I'm gonna hold her to making my favorite dishes."

"Okay, and also when you come home, can we play memory again?"

"Oh so you and Rocco can kick our butts? I'll tell you something, your mother and I have been getting very good at that game, so we might kick your butts."

Charlotte laughed.

"Okay. I think Maxie wants us to go to bed now. Goodnight Dante."

"Goodnight honey."

Dante hung up the phone and began to cry. Even though he felt that he had to do his special mission for personal reasons, he hated leaving his family like that. Now, if what Maxie said about Lulu was true, he didn't want to, but he was worried about her. How much longer would she be able to be strong for everyone without taking care of herself? Knowing Lulu the way he did, that's exactly what was probably going on. She was working her ass off like a dog just to keep from missing him. He knew all to well what that can do to a person because he did the very same thing when she left him after they lost Georgie. Dante's thoughts were getting the better of him, and he had a sinking feeling that maybe, Maxie was right and something was really wrong with Lulu. He went out of the guest room where he thought he would be staying to talk to Lois and Brook.

"Dante! What took you so long?"

"Brook and I were about to have another glass of wine. Want one?"

"No thank you. I came to tell you that I need to go home earlier than I thought. Lulu's not feeling very well and I've been away from her for almost two months now. Thank you for your hospitality."

"But dante, you just got here. I was enjoying our time together."

"I'm sorry Brook, but my family needs me now. I'm gonna go home now. If I leave now, I'll make it by tomorrow morning."

"Okay well, then just let me give you some food to take home okay?"

"Lois, you don't have to do that. I'm fine."

"Okay. Give our best to Olivia when you see her."

"I will. You guys take care."

They all hugged and kissed one another as Dante walked out.

As he closed the door to his car, he texted Maxie to tell her that he was on his way home, as a smile began to spread across his face. He couldn't wait to see Lulu's face when she knew he was there, and they would be reunited once again.


	3. Chapter 3

Un expected Miracles

Chapter 3

Dante had been driving all night, and there was a great deal of construction which created a lot of traffic and detours, which drove him crazy. Dante was worried about Lulu and wanted to hurry up and get home. He was also annoyed with Maxie because she wanted to stall him because she wanted him to come home for dinner so they could enjoy a nice romantic evening. She told him to get breakfast at Kelly's and then, he would spend the day with Olivia and anyone else he wanted to except for Lulu. Lulu wasn't off the hook either; maxie had plans for her as well, but neither of them knew what they were.

When Dante finally reached Port Charles, it was six in the morning. He was exhausted and constantly smacking himself just to keep awake. When he saw the sign for Kelly's, he went in. Today was his lucky day because there was a waitress he had never seen before and he was glad about that. He stifled a yawn as he approached the counter.

"What can I get you sir" the waitress asked.

"Can I get a cup of coffee and one of your eg combos?"

"Absolutely. Oh and if you need a place to stay, an old man said that you can rent one of the rooms at no charge."

"Really? Iappreciate that. I'll have to thank him."

"Sorry, I'm new here. Let me get your order ready. Are you eating it here or taking it to go?"

"I'm gonna eat here. I was on a special assignment, and I'm tired."

"Yeah you look it."

Just then, Sonny, Mike and Avery came into Kelly's. as soon as avery saw Dante, she ran over to him.

"Dante! Where did you go? I missed you!"

"Hey honey, come here. Let me look at you."

"Courtney sweetie, it's not good to talk to strangers."

"Mike, it's okay. Remember it's Avery; not Courtney."

"Oh yeah and you're the cop… um… you were under cover."

"Yeah that's right. It's Dante."

"Mike, I'm gonna order for all of us. Will you be okay with Dante and Avery?"

"Yeah."

"Hey avery, I'm gonna need for you to be a good girl and sit with Dante okay?"

"Okay."

Sonny ordered the food while the waitress came over with Dante's food. Mike just watched as Dante ate. He looked lost in his thoughts which didn't go unnoticed by Dante.

"Hey Mike, you okay?"

"I remember cooking here. I loved it here."

"Yeah you worked here a long time, right?"

"Yeah. What do you say to a nice bowl of chilly?"

"No thanks Mike. I have a whole plate of breakfast. See?"

Avery laughed as dante showed Mike his plate of eggs. Then, Sonny came over to their table with his, Mike's and Avery's plates. Sonny wanted to talk to Dante so he had Avery sit next to him on the other side.

"dante, it's good to see you. Are you home for good now?"

"Yeah. I'm home for good, but I'm planning to surprise Lulu, so don't say anything."

"Why do you want to surprise Laura? You're not her husband, Luke."

"Mike, it's not Laura; Lulu is Luke and Laura's daughter remember"? Sonny said in concern.

"yeah and remember I showed you the picture of Rocco and Charlotte? Dante said as he pulled out a picture of all of them out of his wallet.

Mike studyed it for a moment and he had some recognission on his face.

"Oh yeah right. I forget sometimes. You know it's the disease."

"It's okay. Hey Mike, I wanna talk to my Dad for a littlebit okay?"

"Okay. Can I take Courtney out to the park?"

"No Dad, it's not Courtney; her name isAvery, and you can't take her anywhere."

Dante looked to sonny in concern.

"Look, I know you're dealing with a lot being that carly's been in amental hospital and everything with Mike, but don't you think you're being a little harsh?"

"No, son because last week, he wandered off saying he didn't feel like this was his house and your partner found him at the Haunted Star, but he was at the casino. Did you know he had a gambling problem way back in the day?"

"Oh wow. I'm sorry. I didn't know it's gotten that bad. Okay wel why don't you take him home after breakfast. I wanted to find out how he was doing and it looks like I got my answer."

"Yeah. It's been rough."

"How've you been holding up?"

"oh… ya know fine. Avery keeps me on my toes and so does Josslyn."

"Oh really? How are things going with Josslyn and Oscar?"

"Good I guess. She doesn't really talk about it too much."

"Oh okay, and what's going on with Nelle?"

Sonny filled him in on everything that was happening with Nelle and Michael. Dante was horrified that someone so young could be that cruel, but because it was Nelle, he wasn't surprised.

"Wow. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

"Me too. I'm just glad it's over and I can't wait until Carly gets better and she can come home."

"I'll prey that she'll come home soon."

"Jason's been helping her and I'm so greatful that he's back."

"That's good."

Just then, the waitress came back and refilled Dante's cup of coffee, which Dante greatfully accepted.

"Hey Dante, since you were doing some business, let me pay for your breakfast. It's the least I can do."

"Sonny, I don't want any of your—"

"It's settled. I'm gonna pay and that's it. Don't argue with me son."

"Because I'm tired, I won't. I'll let you have this one" Dante said patting his shoulder.

Sonny then went to the waitress and handed her a wad of cash.

"Listen, Avery, we need to go. Dante needs to get home to spend time with his family."

"but I'm family too and I want dante to take me to the park."

"I'm sorry honey. I'll take you tomorrow. I had a long few days and I'm exhausted" he said gently patting her shoulder and yawning.

"Okay so tomorrow can we go to the park?"

"If you don't have any plans, yes. We can go to the park. Sound good?"

"Okay."

"Give Dante a hug."

"Bye Dante" avery said as she gave him a hug and a kiss.

"Bye honey. See you soon."

Mike came back and said bye to Dante. After sonny, Mike and Avery left, Dante left to go to the police station. He knew that Jorden would want a report on how his mission went. As he walked in, he saw detective Chase getting a cup of coffee. Dante, feeling very tired now was stairing at the coffee pot.

"Hey man, wanna cup?"

"Yeah please? Thanks man."

"So, how did things go with Nelle? Sonny filled me in on everything."

"Not so good. I feel bad for her, but she brought all of this on herself."

"Where's the commissioner?"

"She's in her office. Want me to get her for you?"

"No man, I got this. Thanks for the coffee."

"Wait. Dante, are you back permanantly?"

"Yeah. I had my own personal reasons why I needed to go on the special assignment. That's why I accepted it."

"oh okay well, good to see you, and I'm glad that you're back."

"I'm glad to be back."

Then, Dante went into Jorden's office where she was busy working. As she looked up to see Dante, she was shocked that his assignment wrapped up so quickly.

"detective Falconeri. Glad to see you back in one piece. The PcPD hasn't been the same without you."

"Thanks. How are things going with you and Curtis?"

"They're going pretty well."

"Good. Have you guys talked marriage since I left?"

"I'm still going back and forth. I'm a little scared, but I think you and Lulu could inspire me."

"Thanks, but we've also made mistakes like I said before. Really, all the both of you need to do is learn to compromise and if you guys fight, take some time and then talk about it later. That's what Lulu and I do and it's working. You also need to trust each other, which I know you do."

"Thanks for your advice detective. I'll keep it in mind."

"Okay. Listen. I need to catch up with more people like my mother. She doesn't know that I'm back."

"Oh that's fine. You've done great work, so you deserve some time off."

Dante covered his mouth to yawn before replying. "Thanks. Bye commissioner."

He closed the door just in time to see Valerie walking up to him.

"Dante! You're back. Does Lulu know?"

"No Val, she doesn't yet. I'm planning to surprise her today. It's her birthday."

"Oh crap. That's right. I forgot. I'm gonna have to call her. Did you know that the day after you left, she stopped by the police station and looked at your empty desk for a while?"

"No. I didn't know that. I guess she really missed me more than she'd admit, huh?"

"Dante, she does what most of the Spencers do. They run from their problems or try to keep busy with other things and then, it creaps up later."

"I'm aware of how the Spencers deal with life, thanks to Luke Spencer."

"Oh wow. That was low even for you, but I get it."

"The thing is, Lulu's always had this mental block when it comes to relationships because someone always leaves. That's why she never trusted me and she didn't want to get too close to me, until I convinced her we belonged together."

"Hmm. That's not how she told the story to me."

"Oh really? How'd she tell it to you?"

"Well, you metatJakes when she came in to talk to Coalman about a karaoke night. You were talking to him too about something, and when you saw her, you asked her if she came there often. Then, she was playing music, and you offered to buy her a beer and to play a game of pool. When you were playing pool, Lucky and Ethan beat the crap out of you and then, she took you to the hospital. Then, you basically stocked her the whole time and you wouldn't take no for an answer until she agreed to go out with you. You do realize how juvenile that is, right?"

"Oh see, the thing is Valerie, you don't know what she said to me the night I left. She told me that she was a gonner the day we met, but you're right. I told her she was a lier because she couldn't stand me when we first met. She thought I was a jerk."

Valerie and Dante laughed. Valerie could picture Lulu acting that way. They had gotten closer since everything that happened with Dante and Valerie's affair.

"Hey Val, can you do me a huge favor before I go? Can you get me a coffee to go? I'm really craving it and I'm pretty tired. I need to stay awake because I want to surprise Lulu, but I'm afraid if I don't have coffee, I'm gonna fall asleep" he said letting out a yawn.

"Okay detective, I'm on it. Black two sugars, right?"

"That's right."

She quickly made a pot while Dante sat at his desk. He started dozing off as Valerie came over to him.

"Dante? I have your coffee. Dante? You okay?" she said tapping his shoulder.

"What? Oh sorry. Thanks. I told you I needed this. You're a godsend."

"I guess you were right. Take the coffee and if you want to drink one cup now, I can give you another one after."

"Thanks Val. I think I'll take yu up on that."

Dante drained his coffee and went to the coffee pot where he refilled his cup of coffee before walking out. He said goodbye to Valerie before walking out the door. He decided to stop by Olivia's house to chat with her. He wanted to surprise her too so he knocked on the door. Olivia was playing with Leo when she heard the knock.

"come in" Olivia yelled.

Just then, Dante walked in.

"Dante? Oh my God!" Olivia cried then continued.

"When did you get back! Come here and give your mother a hug. You don't know how much I missed you and thought the worse happened to you. Lulu and I have been a mess since you left. Let me look at you. You look like death warmed over. Have you eaten yet?"

"Ma, stop. I appreciate you wanting to hover over me, but you don't need to do that. I'm okay. I'm tired, but okay. I'll just sit and chat with you for awhile."

"Any time I can spend with my son is a blessing. Come and sit, and I'll pour you some coffee."

"Thanks Ma."

Leo ran up to Dante and hugged him. Dante was happy to see his little brother. He felt bad that he didn't spend a lot of time with him because of his work schedule, but whenever he got the chance, he always tried to make it a point to see him, especially when he was with his mother. Olivia came back with the coffee as Leo went into his room to play with his toys.

"So, Are you okay? I can see with my own eyes that you are, but I'm always gonna worry about you; you know that."

"I'm fine Ma. Don't worry about me. How are you?"

"I'm good now that you're here."

Dante yawned as he said, "That's good. Sorry."

"Oh honey, you must be exhausted. Why don't you take a nap. I promise, I'll be quiet."

"I think I will, but before I do, have you noticed anything weird about Lulu lately? I got a call from Maxie and she said that Lulu wasn't feeling well."

"Yeah. I saw her at the Metro Court yesterday, and she did look a little pale. I wouldn't be too worried. It's probably nothing."

She didn't want to tell dante about the vision she had of Lulu being pregnant for fear Dante would want to take her back to the hospital. She hadn't really had many visions lately since the feeling that their little girl was out there somewhere and Charlotte arrived.

"That's what I figured, but you know Maxie. She's…"

Dante stopped mid sentence as he was falling asleep. Olivia noticed what was going on with Dante.

"Honey, lie down. You're falling asleep."

"What? I'm okay. I'm just tired."

"And that's why you should lie down. What were you trying to say about Maxie?"

Dante yawned. "I said Maxie over reacts, so I know it's nothing."

"That's right. Now, go to sleep okay?"

"Okay. Thanks Ma. Oh and can you do me a favor? Don't tell Lulu I'm here. Can you promise you won't spoil the surprise? It's her birthday and I want that to be the best birthday present she'll get this year."

"I'm not making any promises, but I'll try. Luckally, I'm not working today, so I won't be stopping at the Metro Court."

"Thanks Ma. Goodnight. Love you."

"Love you too."

Olivia put a blanket over Dante as he quickly fell asleep.

Elsewhere, Lulu and Maxie had breakfast, and then went shopping for some updated clothes. Maxie wanted Lulu to ware something nice for her birthday and figured her wardrobe could use some fixing up. Maxie was getting rather annoyed because it seemed Lulu was spending more time in the bathroom either throwing up or having to go. Finally Lulu had a craving for Chinese food, so they went to Maxie's apartment to order the food, and plus, Maxie had other ideas.

"lulu, let's figure this out okay? I'm sick of you throwing up every five seconds or peaing every three, or at least, that's what it feels like."

"Maxie, aren't you exaggerating just a little?"

"Um, no! Each time we walked from one department to another, you either got dizzy, needed to puke, or pea. Then, you crave…" Maxie trailed off as realization came over her, which was also part of her plan.

"Um… Lulu, how late are you?"

"Excuse me? What are you talking about?"

"How late are you. It's a simple question. I'm thinking I might know what's wrong with you and you better figure this out, or I'll figure it out for you."

"I haven't thought about that Maxie. I've missed periods before and it was because of my infirtility issues."

"Oh please Lulu. You were able to diagnose me when I was pregnant before I took the test, so I'm thinking that you could—"

"Maxie, there's no way I can be pregnant. Remember I can't produce viable eggs, and even though the procedure worked, I never got pregnant. I've accepted that, so we're moving on. I probably have some strange flue."

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

"Maxie, what did you do?"

"I may have gotten a pregnancy test, and you better hurry up because the food will be here soon."

"Maxie, you didn't. I'll prove to you that I'm not pregnant. There's no possible way I could be. Why are you doing this to me? You did this once before and when I went to confirm the pregnancy,

dante and I found out that I had a possible spontaneous miscarriage."

"Yeah, but that was like 2012. It's now 2018. I'm the queen of miracles okay? I survived a heart transplant and other complications when I probably should have died, so stop acting like everything's all doom and gloom and take the test and allow yourself to think that miracles happen every day and you could be pregnant, okay? If I'm wrong, then, you can be the first to say I told you so."

"Okay Maxie. I'll humor you."

Lulu went in the bathroom holding the pregnancy test in her hand while Maxie waited for the food. Lulu read the instructions on the test. The directions said that if she sees two pink lines with a plus sign, that means she's pregnant. If it's a blue line with a minus sign, she's not pregnant. She set the timer on her phone for five minutes. As she was waiting, she heard Maxie tipping the delivery man for the Chinese food. Lulu was lost in her own thoughts as she was waiting for the timer to go off. She wanted so desperately to be pregnant, but how could she trust that this was true and that it could happen when she had gone through so many disappointments within the past few years? Could she even dare to be happy for a possible pregnancy that could result in a miscarriage? No. She wouldn't do this to herself. She figured that even if she were pregnant for a short time, if that was even possible, she would cherish every moment of her pregnancy for as long as it lasted, but who was she kidding; she knew she only had a stomach flue. It had to be the stomach flue; didn't it? Just then, her thoughts were broken by the alert on her phone saying the five minutes were up. She slowly took a look at the results of the pregnancy test and read them. Lulu was shocked. Was she really pregnant? She read it again and put the test back in the box and hid it. She figured she'd hide it and not tell Maxie right away. She wanted to break the news to Dante before anyone else. Lulu began to cry. She figured that she'd put on a fake sad face so as not to convince Maxie otherwise because she selfishly wanted Dante to be the first person she told of the pregnancy.

Maxie was getting annoyed because Lulu had been in the bathroom for about ten minutes. She figured she would go in there and find out what was keeping her.

"Okay Lulu, you've been there long enough. Either you're pregnant or… Oh my God! Lulu, what's wrong?"

"Maxie, I have to go. I'm sorry. You were wrong. I'm not pregnant. I don't know why I do this to myself. I let you coaks me into a damn pregnancy test twice, and the same thing happens."

"I'm sorry Lulu. I didn't mean to upset you. How about this. I got you some of the Chinese food that you and Dante like, so why don't you let me put it in a container for you and you can take it home with you. I'm sure you want to remember the things that you and Dante did now that you got crappy news. I'm sorry."

"No Maxie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have listened to you and taken the pregnancy test. I'll be okay. It's just gonna take a bit to process yet another disappointment in my life."

"Lulu, I'm so sorry. You're the strongest person I know and if there's anything I can do for you, you name it. The good thing is you still have charlotte and Rocco who even though they drove me crazy this morning with how loud they were, they are great kids."

"Oh I know, and I thank God for them every day, but this is still devastating because truth be told, I was hoping I was pregnant."

"Well, I'm gonna give you a container of the Chinese food that I got you seeing as most of it is what you've been craving anyway. I'm sorry. Come here" Maxie said hugging her best friend as Lulu cried again.

"Thanks Maxie. I'm so glad we were able to make up."

"Me too. You must be exhausted from crying, so I'll let you go home now. Lulu, I love you."

"I love you too Maxie. Thank you."

She took the container of food and walked home. Luckally for Maxie, Laura offered to take Rocco and Charlotte off her hands for the night and Maxie couldn't have been happier. On any normal circumstance, being alone was unbarable for Lulu, but today, she welcomed the silence. She was exhausted. She decided that instead of the couch where she had been sleeping ever since Dante left, she would sleep in her bed. As she rolled down her bed,she began to yawn due to the exhaustion. As soon as she hit the pillo, she fell asleep.

Dante woke up to an all too familiar smell. Olivia had been making a sauce all day. She was making a lasagna, but Dante didn't know it. He was asleep when she started making it. He began to yawn and stretch before speaking.

"Ma?What are you cooking?"

"Hi honey, I'm cooking lasagna. I thought we could all sit and have dinner as a family."

"Ma, I want to get home. As much as I love you, I spent enough time here sleeping. What time is it?"

"It's 5 PM."

"Shit! I slept that long? Damn. I must have needed it."

"Dante Angelo Falconeri. Watch your mouth. I don't want Leo hearing that talk."

"Sorry. I will take you up on another cup of coffee though, and then, I'm going home to my wife and kids."

"The kids are with Laura for tonight."

"Okay well, then, I'm going home to my wife."

"Okay. Honey, I have a bottle of wine that you can take to the house okay? Give Lulu my love and tell her I hope she feels better."

"I will. Thanks Ma" Dante said as he gave her a hug and a kiss. They exchanged I love yous before he walked out.

As he walked in the house, it was very quiet. The kitchen was dimly lit with candles and glasses of wine poured with Chinese food laid out on the counter. On the lit of one of the containers was a note from Maxie.

Dear Dante,

I hope you don't mind, but I let myself in. Lulu's asleep, so I took it upon myself to do as you asked. I have two glasses of wine poured as well as Chinese food that Lulu wanted for lunch, but didn't eat. Enjoy, and happy reunion😊

Your best friend in the whole wide world,

Maxie.

Dante laughed at Maxie's note before throwing the note away. He walked into their bedroom where Lulu was fast asleep. She looked so much like an angel that Dante didn't want to wake her up, but he knewhe he had to. He missed her so much, and he was worried about her. Lulu, though content looked very pale and tired. He gently planted little kisses on her forehead as she slowly began to open her eyes.

Lulu yawned and said, "Maxie, can you—"

She opened her eyes wider and screamed with delight as she realized who it was.

"Dante! Oh my God! I've missed you so much! I didn't know if you were ever coming back to me."

She couldn't stop crying or hugging and kissing him. Dante couldn't stop kissing her either. They stayed in each others arms for a long time. Dante told her everything about how the mission went before they went to get dinner.

"Baby, you okay? You look pale. Did you miss me that much? Here. Let's see what we have in the fridge for you. Want some ginger ail?"

"Dante, I'd love some… Oh crap! I think I'm gonna" and she threw up right on the couch and began sobbing.

"Lulu? It's okay. I got this. Come here baby." She was still throwing up as Dante took her in the bathroom and held her hair back. When she was done, he rubbed her back and then helped her up.

"I'm sorry Dante. I've been throwing up for about a day and ahalf. I haven't been crying though. This is really strange."

"It's okay. How about I get you some crackers. Maxie got some Chinese food but I don't think you should eat it. There are some eggroles, dumplings, sweet and sour chicken, and—"

"dante, okay stop. I love you and I'm glad that you're back, but, I…I…" Lulu then threw up again.

Dante left the bathroom and he went to get a plate of crackers out for her with a glass of ginger ail. When he was done, he went back to check on her.

"you okay baby? Let me help you."

Lulu leaned on Dante for support, as she was getting dizzy. He brought her to the couch and he ate crackers with her just in case the Chinese food made her sick.

"Dante, I need to show you something which explains what's going on with me. I'll be right back."

"Is it bad?" Dante asked in concern."

"I'll let you be the judg of that when I tell you."

She came back with the box which contained the pregnancy test.

"Before you look at it, I want to be the one to tell you and you can use this as confirmation that I'm telling the truth because I couldn't believe it myself. Yesterday, I was working and everything seemed like such a huge effort. I was exhausted, and I bit everyone's head off at work including Henrik. When Maxie, Charlotte and Rocco came to see me, I was so tired, I fell asleep apparently. Then, Maxie told me what they had for lunch and I immediately had to go to the bathroom. I fell asleep at almost eight last night and slept until 10 this morning. When I woke up, I immediately threw up and was dizzy. Maxie noticed what had been going on and without me knowing, she got a pregnancy test at the mall when we were shopping. Oh my God! I forgot to change. Look at me. I look horrible in my clothes that I'm wearing. I should have worn something nicer for your return."

"Well, happy Birthday baby. That was your surprise. I decided to come home on your birthday. The mission was over and you don't have to worry because he's not ever gonna come back to Port Charles ever again. Robert made sure of it."

"Wait. My present was you coming home? Have I told you how much I love you? This is the best present I've ever gotten, and now for the news that I have to share. So, Maxie made me take the test because as sick as I had gotten, I wanted Chinese food. She bribed me to take a pregnancy test before we sat down to eat, and guess what? It happened Dante! I'm finally pregnant with the child we've been wanting for so long!" Suddenly the teers were streaming down Lulu's face again.

Dante almost spit out his wine that he was sipping on.

"Pregnant? For real this time? No miscarriages? Yes! I can't believe it! We have another chance at having another fricking kid! Unbelievable! This is truly a miracle! Come here baby."

"dante, what are you doing?"

He pulled her off the couch and spun her around before picking her up and twerling her in his arms while they hugged and cried. They finally were pregnant and they were going to make sure they took every precaution they could, including waiting until the first trimester was over before telling everyone their happy news.

"does Maxie know yet?"

"No. I want this to stay between us for a while. We've had so many disappointments, I don't want to get anyone's hoaps up if this doesn't last and is too good to be true."

"I hear ya baby. I'm so glad I came home to this. Hi little one, I'm your Daddy, Dante. I can't wait to meet you in nine months" he said planting kisses all over her stomach.

"You do realize that the baby can't hear you, right?"

"I don't care. I want the baby to know our voices now rather than later. I'm a proud father. What can I say."

"I love you Dante."

"I love you too Lulu."

As they were done with their dinner of crackers, Lulu and Dante went in their room where they had the most amazing sex they've had in a long time before they both fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Un Expected Miricles

Chapter 4

The next day, Dante woke up early. He thought he'd still be exhausted, but he wasn't. In fact, ever since Lulu told him the news that she was pregnant, he was on a high and had all this energy. Given that they had so many disappointments with trying to get pregnant, and going through all the stuff with Rocco and Charlotte, dante wasn't taking any chances. He was going to make sure that Lulu and the baby would be healthier than ever and if he had to hover over her, then he'd do that. He decided to go and make breakfast since Lulu was still sleeping. He wasn't sure what she'd be able to tollorate yet, so he decided to make her some toast and give her some fruit while he enjoyed a pancake for himself. He also decided he'd give lulu breakfast and then, get the kids. He missed them so much and wanted to spend quality time with them. He put the plate of food on the night table beside the bed and gently woke Lulu up.

"Good morning beautiful. I made you breakfast."

Lulu sat up and gave him a kiss.

"You did? What is it?"

"I made you some toast and gave you some fruit. I'm also giving you some juice. You shouldn't have any coffee."

"Dante, you're being just a little too cautious, don't you think?"

"I don't want to take any chances, okay? We've had rough times with trying to get pregnant, and I want to make sure your healthier than healthy, and if that means that I'm overly cautious, then, so be it."

"well, I can at least have one cup of coffee and then, I'll have to change to decaff. Are you satisfied?"

"Nope baby, you're not drinking coffee. I'm sorry."

Lulu knew she wouldn't win this one, so she figured if she needed to sneak coffee here and there, she'd get it from Maxie. She knew they would be spending time together, and she could also get some from Laura. Just then, Lulu needed to go to the bathroom and Dante seeing her pale face knew why. He followed her in and helped her lean over the toylet so she could throw up. Dante rubbed her back with one hand while holding her hair back with the other until she was finished. When she was done, he helped her over to the sink so she could wash her face before taking her back to their room so she could eat. He got his breakfast and they ate in silence for a few minutes.

"I love this. Sitting here with you with our own little secret for a while. I know I should tell people, but we didn't tell anyone when I thought I was pregnant before and look what happened"

"I know, and that's why I'm glad we both agreed to keep it a secret until the crutial part is over. Speaking of crutial, we should make an appointment with Dr. Nero."

"I will, just as soon as I'm done with my breakfast, which by the way is really good. I love that you want to take care of me like this" Lulu said hugging him and kissing him.

"Me too. I'm glad I was able to come home and take care of my family again. I'm not gonna take any of this for granted."

"Dante, I don't think you've ever taken us for granted, except for maybe, when you cheated on me with my cousin. You just expected me to automatically forgive you and talk to you and I couldn't, but we got past all of that, and since marriage counsiling, we've come out stronger than ever and it's because of the work we put into this"

"Lulu, I'm so sorry that I hurt you so badly. I almost cost us our marriage, but I'm always gonna be grateful that we were able to come back from that. I love you so much" he continued planting kisses on her lips and hugging her. He then went to go put their empty plates in the kitchen while Lulu made the call to General Hospital to set up an appointment with dr. Nero. When Dante came back in, Lulu hung up the phone.

"Dr. Nero has an opening for us at 11."

"So, what do we wanna do from now until then? I have some ideas, but I don't know how you would feel about it, because I don't want to hurt the baby."

"You don't want to hurt the baby by making love to your wife? Who are you, and what have you done with my husband? Dante, you can't hurt the baby by having sex. I'd rather be doing it now, then waiting until I'm as big as a house and don't want you touching me that way."

"Alright then, let's go Mrs. Falconeri."

He took off Lulu's nightgound and underware as she unbuttoned his jeans and took his shirt off. Once everything was off, they worked on having sex. When they both entered each other, it was just as amazing as last night and previous times they've made love. They then went for another round before Lulu felt the urge to throw up again. She ran in the bathroom, and threw up. As she was in the bathroom, she decided to take a shower to get ready for her appointment with dr. Nero.

When she came out, Dante couldn't help continuing to smile at her. He had been smiling like a little kid on Christmas morning opening up his presents from Santa ever since he had found out Lulu was pregnant. Lulu loved seeing him so happy, and so was she. Dante drove to the hospital and wen they got there, they saw Elizabeth at the nurses station.

"Hi Lulu, can I help you? Dante! You're back. When did you get back?"

"I got in last night. Lulu and I have an appointment with Dr. Nero."

"Okay. I'll get her for you. She should be done with her appointment soon. It's for 11:00, right?"

"Yes. Dante and I know we're early; he just wanted to make sure we got here on time."

"Okay. Just sit in the waiting room and I'll come and get you when she's ready to see you okay?"

"Thanks Elizabeth" Lulu said before walking away with Dante. Elizabeth hoped for Lulu's sake, the news would be good and she'd discover she was pregnant. Lulu and Dante had gone through so much within the past few years and she hated seeing Lulu and Dante in this much turmoil.

Dante was reading pregnancy magazines while Lulu began to doze off. As soon as Elizabeth came over to them, Dante gently tapped Lulu on the shoulder.

"Dr. Nero's ready for you now. Her office is on the 4th floor, first door on the right."

"Thanks Elizabeth" Lulu said as they walked over to the elevators.

As they walked into Dr. Nero's office, she happily greeted them.

"Hello Dante and Lulu, what can I do for you today?"

"well, I took a pregnancy test last night and it came out positive, and I'd like to confirm it."

"Okay. I have your file right here Lulu and it seems to me that you've had great difficulty conceiving, is that true?"

"Yes, and I had a procedure to correct it, and Dr. Chew said that I should have no problems beginning the implantation process. She was gonna give me hormone injections, but things in our personal lives got complicated and we decided not to go through with it. Then, when I found out that charlotte was my daughter, I just decided I'd only have two children, and that was perfect for us because I discovered that I had no viabal eggs anyway. Then, before Dante left, we had sex and apparently, the test said I'm pregnant."

"okay. I'll be right back so that I can order the blood test, but first, I'd like to get a urin sample okay? I'll have Elizabeth get you a cup. I'll be right back."

Elizabeth a few minutes later came in with a cup for Lulu to use. Lulu went in the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. She gave Elizabeth the cup, and she wrote her name on it to hand to Dr. Nero to give to the lab. Dr. Nero then ordered a blood test to confirm the pregnancy.

"How long until we have the results?" dante asked.

"They'll be in in a few days. Once they're in, I want to see you back here so I can go over them with you, whether you're pregnant or not."

"Thanks Dr. Nero."

"You're welcome. Call me Kim. I hope it's true and you are pregnant Lulu. You guys could use some happiness in your life. Take care."

"You too. Thanks Dr. Nero" Lulu said standing up from the table she was sitting on.

They walked out of Dr. Nero's office and Elizabeth wished them good luck and would call lulu when the results were in. They thanked her as well before heading to the Metro Court for lunch.

As they were there, they saw Laura, Charlotte, Rocco and Kevin eating lunch and they decided to sit with them.

"Dante. How are you?" Kevin said getting up to pat him on the shoulder.

"I'm doing good man. I just got in last night and celebrated Lulu's birthday."

"Daddy!" Rocco shouted in excitement as he ran to hug him followed by Charlotte.

"Hey you too. God! I've missed you so much. What are you eating?"

"I don't know what I want" rocco said looking at the menu then back to Dante.

"Want me to help? What about you Charlotte?"

"I want a tuna melt."

"That's a good choice sweetheart" Lulu agreed thinking she'd get the same thing.

"Okay. I know what I want. I want a cheeseburger" Rocco decided looking to Dante for confirmation.

"You can get whatever you want buddy. My treat." Kevin said patting him on the back.

"Thanks Kevin."

Just then, all of them got their orders put in with the waitress and had a nice time catching up. During the middle of their lunch, however, Lulu began to feel nauseous and quietly excused herself. Of course, this hadn't gone unnoticed by Laura.

"dante, is she feeling alright?"

"Yeah. I think so. It's been so hot this week that I think the heat just got to her. We're not as young as we used to be and having kids makes us feel old."

"I knew you were old" Rocco said jokingly to Dante.

"Oh really? I think when we get home, I'm gonna have to challenge you to a game of memory and then, we can find out who's old. What do you think Charlotte?"

"I think Rocco and I are gonna win like we always doo."

Just then, Lulu came back looking exhausted and like she was ready to go home.

"Dante, I hate to break this up, but can we go home now? This is horrible, but I'm ready for a nap" Lulu said in surprise.

"Wow honey, you're really not feeling well are you?" Laura said worriedly.

"Oh no Mom, I'm fine. I just need to take a nap. I haven't been sleeping that well since Dante left, but now that he's back, things are slowly getting back to normal."

"Alright well, if you need anything, just let us know okay sweetie?"

"I will Mom. I love you" Lulu said as she went to hug and kiss her.

"Do you want us to take the kids or are you guys okay with having them tonight?" Kevin asked looking to dante.

"I think we're good with taking them. I want to catch up with them. I haven't gotten to spend much time with them since I've been back, so I need to make that up."

"Okay well, like Laura said, we're here if you need us. Take care."

"You too. Come on guys, let's go home" dante said taking Rocco's hand while Lulu had Charlotte hold onto her hand before walking out.

During the rest of the day and night, Dante, lulu, Rocco and Charlotte caught up and played a lot of games. Rocco and Dante after eating dinner played baseball in the yard while Lulu and Charlotte baked scones for the morning. When the scones were baking in the oven, Lulu helped Charlotte get ready for bed, and then, Dante and Rocco came in the house so that he could read to them once Rocco got ready for bed. He read the kids two stories and during the first story, Lulu had fallen asleep. This pregnancy to her was aweful. It was hard for her to stay awake when dante would read stories to the kids anyway, but this was worse. When he saw that Lulu and the kids all fell asleep in their places in the living room, he carried them up to bed one at a time. He carried the kids up first and kissed them goodnight, and then, he carried Lulu into their room. She didn't even wake up, so he helped her get into her pajamas and tucked her into bed. He gently kissed her and told her he loved her. This is what Dante missed, and he was so glad that he was able to come home and be reunited with his family again.

A few days later while Lulu was at work, she got a call from the hospital saying the results were in. Jorden gave Dante the next week off because Robert gave him a generous check for his successfull mission, and since he was gone for about a month and a half, Jorden thought he could use a few weeks to spend with his family to make up for that lost time. Lulu texted dante to meet her at the hospital so that they could get the results together. She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared of what could happen. If she wasn't pregnant, she wanted Dante to be there to comfort her during this difficult time of getting excited once again for a pregnancy that would never be. If she was pregnant, however, she wanted dante to be there to experience the joy they finally could have at being parents to their own biological child with Lulu being the one to carry it.

They both arrived at the hospital at the same time where Elizabeth pointed them in the direction of Dr. Nero's office. When they walked in, dr. Nero stood up to greet them.

"Hello again. Come and sit while I review the results with you."

Dante sat in a chair while Lulu sat on the bed.

"I have some good news to share with you. Congratulations Dante and Lulu, you are pregnant, and from the looks of things, I think you'll be successful in carrying the baby to term."

"Pregnant? Are you sure? There's not a mistake? The tests weren't coming out false positives?"

"I had the lab run the test three times and they all came back the same. Lulu, you are pregnant. You're about eight weeks, which would put the conception in June. Your due date looks around to be either late February early March."

Lulu and Dante were shocked. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Once the shock wore off, Lulu began to cry happy tears, and Dante couldn't stop smiling.

"Given your history, you are high risk. You've been through some pretty traumatic events with your infirtility problems and then being frozen for a while when you were kidnapped by Stavros Cassadine. So, if this pregnancy goes smoothly and should you get pregnant again in the near future, we may not need to lable you as high risk. For now though, I don't want you lifting anything heavy. Since this is your first pregnancy and given everything you've gone through, I want to take every precaution necessary okay?"

"Don't worry Dr. Nero; I'm gonna make sure Lulu obeys everything to the tea even if I have to drive her crazy. I'm not taking any chances with this little miracle either."

"Okay. Congratulations again. Oh, and for another added bonis, would you like to hear the heartbeat and see how the baby's developing?"

"Yeah!" They both agreed.

A few minutes later, Dr. Nero put some jell on Lulu's stomach so she could perform the ultrasound and waved the wand over her belly. A while later, she put the doppler on her stomach and they heard the wonderful sound of their baby's heartbeat as well as saw the baby on the screen.

"Oh my God Dante. Look! What do you think it looks like?"

"Gee. I don't know. A gummy bare?"

"Actually, it does look like a gummy bare at this stage. You're right Dante" Dr. Nero said.

"This baby's got a very strong heartbeat, and in a few months, if you want, we'll be able to find out what you'll be having. That of course is completely up to you though."

"We'll think about it and let you know. Thanks dr. Nero."

"I told you to call me Kim, but if you'd rather call me Dr. Nero, that's fine."

"Well, I was always raised that by respect, we always call people by Mrs. Or Mr." Dante said.

"well, you don't have to do that with me. It's okay, but your mother raised you right. Take care."

When they got home, Dante and Lulu still were very excited at the fact they were expecting a baby. In fact, they felt like it was a dream, and Lulu was trying to convince herself that when she woke up, everything they dremped about was gone and she wasn't pregnant after all. When she started doubting herself, all she needed to do was look at the picture of the baby that she had in her pocket, and she believed it. They ordered Chinese food to celebrate, and while they were eating, they finally spoke up.

"Do you still want to keep it a secret baby?"

"Yeah. I want to keep it a secret until we get past this trimester. Then, once I'm at the point where miscarriage isn't so great, we can tell our family and friends."

"Okay" Dante said as he took a bite of his eggrole. Lulu's stomach couldn't take a lot of the Chinese food, so she just ate some chicken and rice. If it was anything she hated about being pregnant, it was the fact that the morning sickness was lasting all day, and she couldn't eat some of the foods she always loved. She hoped that would change in the next trimesters of her pregnancy.

Author's note:

First, I want to thank those of you who have taken time to review this story so far. I'm having a real good time writing this story. It was suggested by one of the reviewers that if Lulu has a boy, she and dante should name it Nathan. I want to hear from everyone. If she has a girl, what would you Lante fans want Lulu and Dante to name their baby? I have an idea, but I want to hear from you, so review, and let me know. Thanks and keep the reviews coming.


	5. Chapter 5

Un Expected Miracles

Chapter 5

The next few months flue by for Dante and Lulu. They spent the last few weeks of August getting the kids ready to start school in September. During the month of September, they had their first sonogram of the baby, and everything looked good. Dante made sure Lulu was eating right and not doing anything too strenuous, which drove Lulu crazy, but she knew that he was doing these things out of love, and Dr. Nero said everything looked good. When October rolled around, she was passed the miscarriage risk and news began spreading around that Lulu was pregnant. On the days that Lulu had Charlotte, that was when she, Dante and Rocco made plans to go apple picking, which they enjoyed quite a lot. Lulu then brought some apples over to Laura and she told them she would make them some apple sauce and an apple pie.

Come Halloween, Lulu wanted to plan a birthday party for Maxie, but she also wanted to take the kids trick or treating, which she chose trick or treating instead because Dante was working, but she did make sure to have Maxie come over. She wanted to give her the news herself that she was expecting, and what better way to do that than tell her on her birthday? She called Maxie, and she gladly came over. As Lulu was getting ready for taking the kids out, there was a knock at the door and it was Maxie. Lulu was getting some Halloween music together on her phone to set the tone. She opened the door to find Maxie looking sad with James, in her arms who was getting bigger and bigger every time Lulu turned around, and even Maxie for that matter.

"Hey guys! Come in! Happy Birthday Maxie. I know if I didn't say that to you when you first walked in, my head would be bitten off, so I figured I'd get that out of the way first."

"Thanks, although, I don't really call it a happy birthday. Ya know, people as nice as they are are driving me crazy. I mean, first Sam came over to wish me a happy birthday and noticed my sad expression and brought me a gift, and told me she understood how I felt, then, my ever so well meaning, but way overprotective family stopped by saying the same thing to me, and adding that things would get easier, but Lulu, this is my first birthday that I'm spending without Nathan, so how is that a good birthday?"

Maxie began to cry as she put James, who was wide awake on the living room floor on a blanket. Since Lulu bought a gift for Maxie, she figured she would go in her room and get it. When she came out, Maxie was still crying and Lulu went to hug her.

"Maxie, I'm so sorry. I won't tell you that it's gonna get easier, because honestly, if that were dante in the position that Nathan unfortunately is in, I don't know how I would go on, kids or no kids. I'd be just as devastated as you are right now. I have a few gifts for you, so here's one."

Maxie opened up the present from Lulu. It was a nice handbag with the newest fall colors, as well as some lotions, bath salts, perfumes, a bottle of wine, and some lip gloss that Maxie had been dying for, and for a little something extra, Lulu ordered a pare of shoes for her that Nina said Maxie wanted.

"Oh my God! I love this stuff! The handbag's my favorite, and the shoes? Thanks! I love you" Maxie said while hugging Lulu.

"Okay well, there's more. This isn't a gift that you can hold in your hand or ware to your latest costume designer party or photo shoot; this is something better. I kept it from you, and I'm sure you heard the rumors spreading around, but I want to let you know that they're true. Maxie, I'm pregnant. I know, I couldn't believe it myself. Dante and I found out in August. I would have told you sooner, but because I've had so many problems with conceiving in the first place, and then, finding out I couldn't make any viable eggs much less carry a viable embrio, I wanted to wait until the first trimester was over to tell everyone. I figured you could use just a bit more happyness in your life, so I would tell you the news on your birthday."

"Pregnant, and you couldn't tell me right away? Lulu, I would have kept it a secret, well… uh… tried to anyway."

Lulu laughed at Maxie trying to say she'd keep the pregnancy a secret if she had known right away.

"Maxie, no you wouldn't. You can't keep someone else's business a secret, unless it's your own secret you're keeping, and that's okay, but I wanted to keep it a secret for that very reason. You wouldn't be able to help yourself, and I love you for that, but it should be mine and Dante's to tell; not yours. Plus, as my best friend, I saved the best person to tell for last. Mom and Olivia were our first to tell."

"How did Olivia react when she heard the news? Maxie wondered before picking James up from the floor.

"She screamed and cried and kept hugging us. Once she composed herself, she gave us a little sip of champagne and toasted us and the new baby."

"That's awesome. I'm so happy for you guys. I just wish Nathan was here to share the happy news with me."

"I know. I'm sure Dante does too. I'd love to see his reaction myself. Hey, do you wanna go trick or treating with me and the kids?"

"No. James is too little and I don't want him exposed to all those jerms and all that candy. He only has a few teeth I think, or maybe, not. Let's see. He was born in May, and it's now October, so that makes him…-"

"Maxie, I get it. It's okay. You could have just said no. You don't need these drawn out explanations. You don't wanna go. That's fine."

"How did Rocco and Charlotte take the news you are pregnant?"

"Well, Rocco wanted to know where babies come from, and Charlotte wanted to know if I'd love this baby more than I love her. She's had to go through so much, that she's been wanting to spend more time with Valentin and Nina ever since finding out I was pregnant."

Oh no! That can't be good" Maxie said in support of Lulu.

"I know. I just hope they won't try to change our agreement we've established for the past year or so."

"I hope not. I know that Nina still gets hurt when she finds out people are pregnant, and she can't have a kid of her own. I swear; the only reason why she was happy with me being pregnant was because I was married to her brother. I'm sure if it were with anyone else, she'd wanna kill me."

"I don't know. I'm not gonna let it ruin my Halloween. I'm going trick or treating, and if we run into Nina and Valentin, then, I'll be civil to her. She has Charlotte's costume, so I told her she could pick her up from school and get her makeup ready."

"Well, just be careful. I know valentin hasn't really proven to be evil since he killed Nikolas, but I don't trust him. I mean, it's Halloween after all, and even though it's my birthday, scarey things can happen."

"I'm not scared. I can handle Valentin, Nina, or anyone who crosses my path, and I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep my family safe. Plus, Dante's a cop and I know if anything were to happen to me or our family, he'd stop at nothing to get to the bottom of the truth or keeping us safe."

"Okay, I know you're Luke Spencer's daughter, but don't you think you're being a little too trusting right now?"

"no Maxie. I'm fine. I'm doing what any mother would do. Wouldn't you feel this safe if Nathan were here to keep you and James safe?"

Just then, James began to cry.

"Yes, of course I would, but I'd still be creaped out, especially if I had a lunitick who I had to be civil to just because he's the biological father of my child, if I were in your situation. Oh come here baby, wanna see your aunt Lulu? Wanna feed him?"

"Oh sure. I'd love too! Come here buddy. It's okay sweetheart" Lulu said in a soothing voice as she rocked him while Maxie prepared a bottle and passed it to Lulu.

"Wow! He's so good. Just as soon as you put the bottle in his mouth, he stops crying. That's awesome! I hope my baby will do that when I feed it."

"What do you think you'll have, or what do you hope to have?" maxie wondered.

"Honestly, we don't care; as long as the baby's healthy. I mean, we have a boy and a girl, so either one's good."

"Oh okay. I think you're having a girl."

"Olivia thought the same thing. That's what she told me the night we told her we were expecting."

"Is she having those creapy visions again? Lulu, if she has visions of another creapy dog again, I'm gonna scream."

"Maxie, you can breathe. She's not having any visions of little puppies running around that look like jackles, okay? This time, she says we're having a girl, but her visions have been proven wrong before."

"Okay, well, let's just hope the baby's not gonna look like a goblin or something."

"Wanna see our sonogram picture?" Lulu asked while getting it out of her purse.

"Yeah! Aww! The baby looks just like you. Look at it's face!" Maxie shreaked as she looked closely at the photograph of the sonogram.

"You think so?"

"Um… yeah, when have I been wrong about stuff like this?"

"I don't know. You've been wrong about a lot of things, especially when it came to our child who we thought was ours."

"I thought we were past that."

"Oh we are, but I'm just saying that you could be wrong. This baby could look like Dante too, and I'd rather the baby looked like him than me."

"don't say that Lulu. You're beautiful. Don't get me wrong, but Dante's handsome, but I want the baby to look like you. Is that so wrong?"

"No. It's not."

After Lulu's reply, Maxie got a group text from Falicia, Anna and Robin telling Maxie to meet at the Metro court so they could celebrate her birthday.

"Okay well, I have to get going. Thanks for the birthday gifts, and don't worry. When this little person, whether it's a boy or girl will have the latest in fassion and will look top notch. I can promise you."

"okay. Happy birthday Maxie. Cheer up. It will get better. Well, tonight will."

"You're right. I mean, at least, I have family who want to spend time with me and my son, and I should be grateful for that."

"I know you are, now get out of here, so I can get Rocco his dinner and then take him out okay?"

Dante was very disappointed because he had to work. He wanted to go trick or treating with Rocco and Lulu, but Jorden wasn't having it. She allowed dante the rest of August off, but then, come September, he needed to resume his previous schedule, and she wasn't taking any chances. What if there was a domestic disturbance situation or a murder that needed attending to? It was Halloween and a lot of crazy things can happen. She needed all detectives on deck for anything.

As Lulu and Rocco were getting ready to eat dinner before going trick or treating, there was another knock at the door and it was Nina.

"Hi Nina, where's Charlotte?"

"Um, she's with her father where she belongs. We've been thinking that ya know, um… Since you're pregnant, you may not need to have Charlotte that often because you'll be too busy with the new baby to even bother to care for her. Did you know that when she told me about you being pregnant, she cried all night and wanted us to comfort her?"

"Rocco, sweetheart, why don't you get ready to go out while I talk to Nina okay?"

"Okay Mom" Rocco said as he went to clear his plate before walking out of the kitchen.

"Nina, how dare you insinuate that just because I'm expecting doesn't mean I won't have time for Charlotte. I'm always gonna love Charlotte just as equally as I love Rocco and I'll love this new baby. Dante and I had a lengthy conversation with Charlotte and Rocco about this before she ran to you. I hate to admit it, but I could see why she'd run to Velentin because as much as it pains me to say it, he is her father, but you have no say where Charlotte's concerned. It doesn't matter what's going on with your marriage. You filed for divorce, so even if you were with valentin and your marriage is solid, you have no say; only Valentin and I do where Charlotte's concerned"

"Well, we'll see about that." Nina scoffed before walking out. She had a plan to rid Lulu of ever seeing Charlotte no matter what it took, and Halloween night was the perfectnight to do it.

"Rocco, sweetie, you can come out now, lets see how my firefighter is doing."

Rocco came out of his room wearing the fiterfighter costume and Lulu took him in the bathroom to put on his makeup to look official. Dante would have been proud of them both for thinking of his costume. Lulu wanted to take a picture of Rocco's costume, and as hard as he protested, she got her way and snapped a picture to send to Dante with a smily face. They then were enjoying trick or treating throughout the neighborhood. As they were getting closer to another neighborhood, Lulu and Rocco saw Charlotte with valentin, who was wearing a Jason mask from the movie "Friday the 13th." When he would walk by, everyone, except for Rocco was scared because Charlotte noticed him first.

"Oh look, Papa, there's Rocco and Mommy! I'm gonna go see them and show them all my candy I got!"

Valentin didn't say anything and hid behind a tree. He was spying though and knew the moment to come out. As soon as Charlotte saw Lulu and Rocco, she ran to them and gave them each a hug.

"Charlotte! You look beautiful sweetheart. I know you're a princess, but who are you supposed to be? Are you Snow White?"

"Yeah! Nina died my hair black! Don't I look like her Mommy?"

"Yeah you do" Lulu said smiling at her daughter.

Just then, Valentin ran out of the bushes and unlike Jason in the Friday the 13 movie, he had a gun. He turned the safety off and began pulling the trigger. Rocco and Charlotte tried to run, but Lulu pushed them down near a tree so they'd be safe. Bullets were flying everywhere. As Lulu tried to get the gun away from Valentin to keep the kids safe, the gun went off and she fell to the ground, leaving Rocco and Charlotte screaming in fear. He ran away and as the blood started seaping in the street, neighbors came out. One neighbor grabbed the kids and took them to their house while another neighbor called 911. Nobody saw what happened, except for blood smearing the street and the kids were scared. Both Charlotte and Rocco were wondering what happened to their mother. When the parametics came, they found Lulu passed out with a gunshot wound to the leg, and another gunshot to the back, which probably happened when they were fighting for the gun.

Dante was bord because it was a slow night. He had occasional arrests with drunk people at Halloween parties, but nothing too major. When he was getting his 5th cup of coffee that night, a call was called on the radio reporting shots fired at the location close to their house. Two children were seen heading to a neighbors house while a woman was shot in the street and was being taken to the hospital. He took the police car and drove out to the street. When he arrived at the spot where the shooting occurred, he saw Lulu's bag of candy with a spot of blood. As he got closer, the trickle of blood got thicker and thicker. He didn't see anyone around and suddenly, his heart sank. Was Lulu being taken in the hospital in a bodybag? Was she in surgery and he didn't even know it? How badly was she hurt? Did they know she was pregnant? He immediately raced to the hospital. While he was on the way, he called Olivia to see if she could take care of Rocco and Charlotte for a few nights. Of course, Olivia agreed and told Dante she'd be at the neighbor's house to go and get them.

When he arrived at the hospital, it seemed like forever until someone could tell him anything, until Lucas Jones came up to him.

"I can't believe I'm doing this dante, but I have to opporate on my cousin. Come sit, and I'll tell you everything that's going on. Lulu was shot twice. She was shot once in the leg and shot again once in the back. The gunshot wound to her leg isn't too severe; she just lost a lot of blood and just missed an artery by the hair. The gunshot wound to her back is more cereous. One of her lungs were punctured, and she's not stable enough for surgery yet. Her vital signs are erratic and very unstable at the moment. She's lost a significant amount of blood. I'm sorry. We're doing everything we can for her."

"Lucas, do you know that Lulu's pregnant?"

"Yes, and we paged dr. Nero, and so far, she says the baby looks fine. The rest is up to Lulu. At this point, the only thing that will save her is surgery, and we're just hoping she'll get stabilized until then."

"Can I see her?"

"Yes, but briefly. She's very critical" Lucas said sadly.

"Okay" Dante said clearing his throat to try and not let Lucas see how upset he was.

"Where's my wife?"

"She's in cubical one. Let me show you the way" Lucas said as he pointed Dante in the direction of the cubical.

When he got to Lulu, she looked so pale and so small. She looked so weak. How could this be happening to them now? They were supposed to be getting everything they ever wanted, and now, some bastard had to go and shoot her in front of their children? What the hell was the matter with this town? These kids have been through enough. They didn't need to lose their mother and Dante didn't need to lose his wife. Dante would put a stop to this right now. It was bad enough that Lulu almost drowned, and now this? This time, if he had to get sonny's men involved, he would. It wouldn't matter the cost. Dante was that desperate to save his wife and to make sure the kids would have a mother and they could go on with their lives.

"Hey baby, I'm sorry you're hurt" Dante said sniffling.

"I promise you, Lulu, I'm not gonna let this bastard get away with this. We've come so far and have been through so much together. I can't lose you. You had my heart from the moment we met. Don't ruin what we have by dying on us. Please? Rocco and charlotte need you and so does this baby. We've fought so hard to get here and now, we're happily expecting our baby boy or girl. I love you Leslie Lu Falconeri. Come back to us, if you can. Please. I saved myself for you, so don't let me regret falling in love because you die okay? Now you be good, and let the doctors work on saving your life so that we can go on with our lives, because baby, this doesn't work without you. You may think the opposite, but I don't. You help keep me grounded when I want to throw myself into things like work, or bills, and I do the same for you. We work so well with each other when we help the kids. I love you. So, you hold on to that and try to feed off of my strength okay baby?" Dante said as he wiped the tears that were streaming down his face after gently kissing her. She was still uncontious, but her vitals began to slowly improve, and Lucas came in the room.

"Okay Dante, we need to go as quickly as we can to surgery okay?"

"be good baby. I'll be here when you wake up okay? I love you." Dante said as he watched Lucas along with the other doctors and nurses wheel Lulu away.

Later as Lulu was still in surgery, Dante called Olivia to check in to see how the kids were doing. She said that the kids were pretty shaken up and Charlotte said she saw Valentin picking up the gun. At that point, Dante was furious. He knew that he wouldn't let Valentin get away with this, but why did he shoot Lulu? Lulu had been more than cooperative during the whole custody battle they had over Charlotte, and it was Valentin who screwed himself wen he got arrested for the chimera the night of the nurses ball, but then, they had worked things out, so what was the problem now? Well, he would go all detective mode and interview anyone he could about that night to find the motive, and nobody; not even the commissioner was going to stop him. He told Olivia he loved her and told her to kiss the kids for him and Lulu. He also told her to tell them they could have extra candy tonight. Just then, Laura, Bobbie, Valerie and Carly all walked in the hospital to see how Lulu was doing.

"Dante, how's Lulu?" bobbie asked while hugging him tightly.

Dante sighed. "I don't know. It's touch and go I think. She got shot twice; once in the back where her lung got punctured and another time in the leg. The wound in her leg isn't too bad, but she needs surgery to patch it up but the wound in her back is a lot more dangerous."

"Oh my God" Laura cried. "My baby. This can't be happening. I bet you I know damn well who it was too, and that goddamn bastard is not going to get away with this" Laura continued in anger. Dante knewLaura could be a spitfire when it came down to her children, but he never saw a woman with this much anger the way Laura was displaying right now.

"Go Laura" carly cheered. "You find the bastard who did this to my cousin, and you fixhim good. Or better yet, I'll have sonny order the hit and Jason will off him. Wait, Dante it is a male; isn't it?" Carly asked.

"We don't know Carly. I have my suspitions based on what my mother told me. I just got off the phone with her, and Rocco and Charlotte saw the whole thing. Charlotte said she thinks it was valentin."

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! First, he shoots and kills my son , and now he wants to do the same to my daughter? Oh my God! My baby!" Laura cried as she collapsed to the floor.

"Laura, come here sweetheart. It's alright. I'm here now" Kevin said as he gently lifted her up and began comforting her.

"Let's all sit down and wait for the doctors to come out. I know it's been a very long night for you all."

"Carly, let's get Dante, Laura and Kevin coffees okay? I'm good at that" Bobbie said.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Who wants coffee?" Carly asked getting up from the chair.

"I'd love some" Dante said letting out a yawn because his emotions and the waiting was getting to him.

"I don't want anything Bobbie. I'm good" Laura said blowing her nose with a tissue.

"How about some water" Kevin said comfortingly.

"Okay. I'll take a glass of water."

"Okay" Carly and Bobbie said as they walked out leaving them all waiting. By this point, the caffiteria was closed, so they had to go to Kelly's which was good because Kelly's, next to Perks had the best coffee in town anyway. It certainly was much better than the hospital coffee.

When they had come back, Laura had dozed off on Kevin's shoulder while Dante pased the floor making Kevin nervous. He understood it and let him continue to pase.

"we're back" Bobbie said quietly.

"Any news?" Carly asked.

Dante stretched before replying. "Nope; not yet. Can you see what's taking Lucas so long Bobbie?"

"Oh that's right. He was the doctor who was working tonight. Well, obviously, if he hasn't come out yet, he's probably still working on her. I'll see what's going on. I'll be right back. Carly, honey, pass the coffees out?"

"Okay Mom."

Bobbie went up to the nurses station on the 10th floor to find out what was going on, and all Amy could tell her was that Lucas was still in surgery. She showed Bobbie the list of doctors and nurses who were assisting, which Bobbie didn't need to see. She thanked Amy and went back to the waiting area.

"Lulu's still in surgery everyone."

Dante and Laura were getting nervous again. What was taking so damn long? Did something bad happen to Lulu and they're just not saying anything? What was going on? Something had to be wrong. Just then, Lucas came in looking exhausted.

"Okay well, Lulu's out of surgery. She'll be in and out for the next twelve to twenty-four hours, so I suggest you all go home and get some rest. Her vitals look good, and Dr. Nero is looking at the baby now and said the baby looks fine. Dante, since you're Lulu's husband, you can go see her, but again, only briefly.

"Thanks Lucas" dante said breathing a huge sigh of relief. He pointed him in the direction to where Lulu's room was and he closed the door.

As he pulled a chair up beside the bed, he picked up her tiny hand. It felt so cold. She still looked very pale and weak. He hated seeing her hooked up to all these machines and tubes everywhere.

"Hey baby. You worked really hard. Didn't you. You can rest for a while now, but only if you come back to us. Laura, bobbie, Carly and the whole family were all here and will come back tomorrow. The kids are fine. They're staying with Ma. I know who did this to you and I'm gonna make sure they pay. Don't worry. They're gonna pay the way the system works where someone gets arrested. I don't need Sonny yet, but I'm telling you, if the worse happens to you, I won't be afraid to slap a murder charge on Valentin Cassadine. I love you. I'm gonna go home and get some sleep. I'm tired. You be good and I'll come by first thing in the morning because the kids aren't gonna go to school tomorrow. I'm not gonna have them go when it's probably all over the news that there was a shooting and it was you who is an investigative reporter for the city of Port Charles. No Thank you."

He quietly closed the door after giving her one final kiss and drove home. The drive home seemed to take forever. When he finally got home, he wanted a beer. He needed it. He opened up the beer and sat on the couch. He thought he'd put on one of the girlie movies Lulu liked so much. He turned on the TV and fell asleep before the opening credits of "The Notebook" came on.

The next morning, Dante woke up with a very stiff neck from sleeping on the couch. The only thing he was thinking about was how to get justice for Lulu before going to see her. He had wanted to confront Nina and Valentin for their part in Lulu's shooting, and he figured he'd go to their house, but then, he decided against it and decided to do things the professional way by going to the police station.

When he arrived at the police station, the first thing he did was poured himself a cup of coffee. As he was looking around, he noticed the door to one of the interrogation rooms were closed. He wanted to peer in and see who one of the detectives were interviewing, but he figured he'd ask Jordan, so he knocked on her door.

"Come in!" Jorden yelled as she looked up from her computer screen, and Dante opened the door.

"Detective, you should go home. I'm sorry to hear about Lulu."

"Jorden, I have to know. Are there any leads?"

"Yes, and detective Chase is interviewing a potential suspect right now as we speak."

"Who is it?"

"detective Falconeri. You know I can't say who the detective is interviewing at the moment."

Dante knocked a plant off of Jorden's desk in anger and frustration.

"Look commissioner Ashford, I don't give a damn about the policies and procedures, okay? This is a special case, and I want in on it. I know who the suspect is, and before he does anything stupid, you know I can handle this. I don't want another person getting hurt because of him. I'm going in and listening to the interview, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. Got that?"

"Detective! Get a hold of yourself. If you can't do that, I may have to suspend you for a while."

"Suspend me? Are you fricking kidding me? For what! Making sure my family's safe? I'm going in there to see if Chase has the right suspect."

Just then, detective Chase came out hearing the commotion.

"What's going on? Hey Dante, I'm sorry to hear about Lulu. We're doing everything we can to make sure the person who shot Lulu doesn't come after her again."

"Chase, can you do me a favor? Who's the person in question that you just interviewed?"

Just then, valentin came out of the room.

"Hey listen you ass wipe! If you go near my family again, I'll make sure you never see your daughter ever again. What the hell were you thinking shooting my wife in front of the kids, especially Charlotte. Do you know what that does to a kid? No, because you want to love her when it's convenient for you, or when you want to use Charlotte to manipulate Lulu. Detective Chase, arrest this man before you need to arrest me for murder, and please, if you see his dumbass wife, arrest her too. They've had it in for Lulu since before you came here. Valentin shot her brother in cold blood, and then Nina married him just to score points so it could look better for the custody hearing for Charlotte. Then, at the nurses ball, this scumbag decided to bring a chimera that he sold to Helena for Jake's magic show, and luckally for Anna, we were able to figure out that velentin was the one who sold it to Helena because he was working for the WSB with Anna a very long time ago. How am I doing valentin. Oh wait. You don't like that? Well, I don't like that you traumatized my kids by ruining their Halloween by shooting their mother" dante said before puntching him breaking his jaw.

"Detective Falconeri! I told you, and I won't tell you again. Get a hold of yourself. As far as you're concerned , I reviewed your criminal past, and I'm afraid we will have to arrest you for all of your crimes. Detective Chase, please do me the honors and book him for his arrest, and you detective Falconeri, you go to the hospital and visit with your wife. I'm so sorry that you're dealing with all of this, but you don't get to attack anyone out of anger. You need to control your temper. Take care and come back once you've had time to get some much needed rest and when everything cools down okay?" Jorden said while giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you Commissioner. I'm sorry for my outburst. Chase, I'm sorry man. When you fall in love and you've been through the hell that I have, you'll get it."

"Hey man, it's cool. Don't worry about it. I'll arrest Valentin right now. Bye Dante."

Dante drove to the hospital and knowing Valentin was getting arrested after he had a chance to cool off felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. What would make it even better is if Lulu was doing better.


	6. Chapter 6

Un Expected Miracles

Chapter 6

As Dante made it to the hospital, he couldn't help but think the worsed before seeing Lulu. He wanted to believe that no news was good news, but he wasn't sure. His mind was going crazy with the what ifs and none of the scenarios were good. He saw Elizabeth at the 10th floor nurses station and went over to her.

"Elizabeth, I'm sorry. Do you know anything about how Lulu's doing? Dante asked worriedly.

"Actually, I do. She woke up and was asking for you. She doesn't stay awake for very long, but she'll know you're there if she's sleeping. If she's awake, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. When have you slept. You look terrible."

"I slept as soon as I sat on the couch after Lucas told me to go home."

"Hmm because from the looks of things, it doesn't look like you've slept much at all." Elizabeth said in concern for Dante.

"How are Rocco and Charlotte doing? I heard on the news that they saw the shooting happen. That's aweful. I can't imagine what would happen if my boys had to go through something like that."

Dante sighed. "Well, Elizabeth, it's hard. Ma called me and told me they were very upset, and so I told her to tell them they could have extra candy. Charlotte's also having nightmares"

"I'd do the same thing. You and Lulu are great parents, and I know you'll be great to the new baby too. By the way, you have a little fighter on your hands because the baby's doing just great."

Dante smiled and said, "That's definitely good news. Thanks Elizabeth. I'm going into see Lulu now."

Dante went into Lulu's room and when she heard the door close, she woke up. She tried to sit up, but quickly fell back on her pillow.

"Don't try to sit up baby. You've been through something pretty bad." Dante said giving her a kiss and looking her over.

"How are you feeling? Dante said kissing her gently on the forehead.

"I feel sleepy and apparently very week. What happened?"

"Don't worry about that right now baby. You have plenty of time to get better. Just focus on that okay? The baby's fine."

Lulu smiled weakly.

"Dante, wait. I do remember something. Rocco and I were trick or treating, and… and… wait! Charlotte was there. She was Snow White. She looked so beautiful. Then, Valentin showed up in the bushes wearing a Jason masque from "Friday the 13th." I tried to get the gun away from him, and it went off, and everything went black. Oh my God! Dante, I traumatized my children for life! Nina's definitely gonna use this against me to say I'm an unfit mother! What are we gonna do!"

Just then, her breathing began to get more labored as her machines started going crazy. Dante in a panic ran out of the room.

"Hey! We need some help in here! Someone please help her!" Dante yelled as Elizabeth and Lucas ran in.

"Lulu? Can you hear me? It's okay. You're gonna be okay. We're gonna take care of you. Breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth. Slowly… Slowly… Nice and easy. That's it ." Elizabeth said soothingly. Lucas looked at Lulu and readjusted her position on the bed.

"It's okay Lulu. Just calm down and relax. I know you're a little agitated, but you're okay. Her vitals look good."

"Elizabeth, tel Dante he can come back. She's fine."

Elizabeth saw Dante outside the door and motioned for him to come back into Lulu's room. She told Dante that Lulu just got a little anxious, but she should be fine. Dante thanked Elizabeth and went back into check on Lulu, who was fast asleep. He remembered how he felt when he got shot and needed a portion of his lung removed, so he wasn't too alarmed to find Lulu sleeping so quickly.

A few weeks later, everyone was getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday as Lulu was recovering at home. Before leaving the hospital, Dr. nero offered to let them find out what they were having, and they both agreed they wanted to keep it a surprise, so she didn't perform the test. She did tell them that the offer would still stand if they ever wanted to change their minds, and they said they would let her know. Lulu wanted to have everyone over for Thanksgiving, especially seeing as they had the room now, and dante only agreed to allow her that if only she took the time to rest. Dante askedOlivia to cook everything to make things easier for Lulu. Lulu protested because she wanted to make a Lasagna, or at the very least, meatballs, but Olivia already had it covered. Dante and Olivia did allow Lulu to go out and get a bottle of wine if she insisted on doing something for Thanksgiving. Laura offered to take care of the pie baking, and Kevin offered to also get abottle of wine for the ladies and beer for the men. Lulu offered to put out some cheese and crackers, and that was fine with Dante because she didn't have to work herself too hard.

That Thanksgiving day, Rocco and Charlotte were playing in their room while Dante and Olivia got things ready for Thanksgiving. Lulu needed to take a nap after cutting the cheese and peperoni because she got too tired. She was stil healing from her gunshot wounds and got very tired very easily. Olivia figured she'd use this time to talk to Dante about everything that's been going on.

"So, honey, how are the kids doing now that lulu's been home for about a week or so?"

"They're doing good, although, Charlotte still has nightmares about her father coming and killing her with the gun when we're asleep."

"oh my God! That's terrible. Poor baby girl!" Olivia cried.

"I know. It's terrible what that poor kid's had to go through these past few weeks. I can't even imagine what must be going through her head."

"Have you thought about taking her to go see Kevin?"

"I've been thinking about it, but I haven't discussed it with Lulu."

"Maybe you should. No child should have to live life afraid of what's gonna happen to her in the middle of the night."

"I know. We'll ask her about that after today."

Just then, as Olivia poured a glass of wine for herself, the doorbell rang and it was Laura and Kevin, and they added a little surprise guest. It was Spencer.

"Hey guys! Come on in!" Dante said while opening the dor.

"Spencer! How are you buddy? Haven't seen you in a long time! How's everything going?"

"Well, Uncle Dante, things have been going well, although, I'm finding Boarding School to be more borring than I had anticipated it would be, so I requested that Grandma Laura and Kevin come and bring me back to Port Charles where I belong. Where are Rocco and Charlotte?"

"They're in their room playing. Let me go get them. Oh Kevin and Laura, let me bring that out to the kitchen. Ma's taking care of everything."

Dante showed spencer to Rocco and Charlotte's room while Olivia put the apple pie and other beverages away.

When Olivia was putting things away, Dante went into his room to wake Lulu up.

"Lulu? Time to get up. Your Mom, Kevin, and Spencer are here."

Lulu stretched and sat up.

"Did you say Spencer's here? Oh my God! I have to go see him. Where is he?"

"He's in Rocco and Charlotte's room playing."

"Oh good. So, how's everything going downstairs?"

"Ma's putting the dessert and beverages away. The turkey's been in the oven for about an hour already."

"It smells really good. Okay, help me up, so I can see everyone."

Lulu was still pretty weak so Dante helped her walk downstairs to see everyone. By this time, Rocco, Spencer and Charlotte were in the living room eating some appitizers, along with Laura and Kevin.

"Oh Lulu. How are you feeling? You look good." Kevin said.

"I'm getting better everyday. I get tired easily and I'm pretty weak."

"Aunt Lulu! How have you been?" Spencer wondered while getting up to hug her.

"I'm doing good Spencer. How are you? I'm glad you came back. Are you staying here now?"

"Yes. Boarding School got to be too overwhelming."

"I'm sorry. I'm just glad you came back. Are you getting along nicely with Charlotte?"

"I'm trying, but it is rather difficult, but I'll be good. I made a promise to Grandmother that I would be nice to Charlotte today."

"I'm glad. HiMom" Lulu said slowly getting up to hug her.

"I'm doing good honey. Sit down. I don't want you over exerting yourself."

"Mom, I appreciate you wanting to take care of me, but I'm okay."

"You're my daughter and I love you. I'm always going to worry about you."

"I know, but you don't have to. I'm fine. I have a doting husband who's taking care of me just fine."

"I can see that." Laura said smiling up at Lulu.

"Alright! The turkey's ready to come out of the oven. Kevin, in about twenty minutes, do you think you can do us the honor of carving the turkey?"

"absolutely. It would be my pleasure to help carve the turkey."

"Thanks Kevin." Olivia said. Just then,Rocco was growing impatient and went to grab the remote from Dante.

"dad, when's the game on? What time is it?"

Dante looked at his phone before replying.

"It's gonna come on just as we will be eating. Why don't we do this. We kick the ladies out of the living room, and all us guys including Kevin can sit and watch the game. How's that?"

"I like that." Rocco said.

about twenty minutes later, Laura helped set the kitchen table while Lulu rounded up the kids. She took Spencer in the living room with Dante and Rocco and she went in the kitchen with Charlotte. Before the game started, Olivia said grace before they all ate their dinner. Everything was so good, and Lulu went for seconds on everything. This pregnancy was making her eat quite a lot, and though it surprised her, she loved that she had an excuse to gain some weight along with everything else that came with the pregnancy.

By the time it was ready for dessert, Lulu was full and getting very sleepy. Dante went in the kitchen to take care of Kevin, Spencer and rocco's plates in the dishwasher while Olivia and Laura helped clean the dishes from everyone who was in the kitchen. He saw Lulu sitting at her seat struggling to keep her eyes open.

"Wanna go to bed and I'll bring dessert up to you a little later?"

"Yeah. I'm wiped. I'm sorry guys. This is horrible. When I'm back to myself, I hope I won't be so tired."

"Honey, you're recovering from major surgery and you could have died. It's no wonder why you're so tired." Olivia said.

"Don't worry about it. You're fine. I think we'll be leaving soon anyway." Kevin said so that Lulu wouldn't feel so guilty about excusing herself.

"Okay then, let me say bye to spencer in case I'm napping when you guys leave okay?"

She went in the living room where both Dante and Rocco looked very depressed because the team they were rooting for had lost the game. Spencer kept turning his nose up at them in a snobby way, especially when Charlotte came in the living room to say goodbye to him. She knew he still didn't particularly like her and she still never understood why. Of course, the snobby look didn't go unnoticed by Dante and Lulu.

"spencer, I'm gonna go and take a nap. I'm very tired, so I wanted to give you a kiss goodbye in case I don't get to, and stop turning up your nose at Charlotte. That's not nice."

Yeah, buddy. do you remember what I told you about respect? When you're in our house, you're gonna follow our rules and respect everyone, and that includes Charlotte."

"With all do respect Uncle Dante and Aunt Lulu, I'm sure I don't have to tell you my reasons why I dislike Charlotte. It's because her father—"

"Spencer! That's enough" Laura said coming into the room before continuing. "It's not Charlotte's fault what the adults have done in her life. You have every right to resent the fact that your father is gone, but that doesn't give you the right to shoot daggers at her every time you see her. I thought Kevin and I got through to you on that. You promised us that you were going to be polite and respectful to Charlotte and rocco. I think we're gonna be going now. Say thank you to Dante and Lulu, and we'll go back home."

"Bye Uncle Dante. Bye Aunt Lulu."

"Bye big guy" dante said giving Spencer's shoulder a squeez.

"Come here and give me a hug" Lulu said. She kissed and hugged Spencer and went into her room to nap.

"Bye Charlotte" Spencer said in a very snotty tone, and he said by to Rocco as well. Then, the adults said their goodbyes, and Laura, Kevin, and Spencer left.

As Lulu was asleep, Dante and Olivia sat with Rocco and Charlotte and ate some dessert.

\- By the first week of December, things started to get a little crazy. Nina and Valentin were still trying to fight Lulu and Dante for full custody of Charlotte on the basis Lulu wouldn't be able to devote much time to Charlotte. By this time, valentin was able to use his connections to of course get baled out, but Lulu and Dante weren't backing down either. Lulu and Dante had a lot of support from their family as well asDianne Miller. They wanted to have Alexis represent them, but quickly realized the conflict of interest that would present given that Valentin was Alexis's brother. Dianne said they would meet during the first few weeks of December, but once Christmas rolled around, things would start to get very busy.

Dante and Lulu met Dianne to discuss their case over lunch at the Metro Court.

"Hi Dante and Lulu!" Dianne said happy to see them.

"Thanks for meeting us on such short notice Dianne. We just found out a few days ago that valentin got bale. Ever since then, I've been having nightmares that he tries to come after me and the kids." Lulu said with a scared and anxious expression.

"That is completely understandable,and that's what I want to talk to you about. Now, you and Dante have a very strong case that works in your favor. The socialworker wrote a great report when yu fought for custody of Charlotte the last time, and since he had his previous arrest from the last nurses ball, plus killing Nikolas, I think we have a great case and we could win. Are you prepared to bring up everything he's put you all through?"

"Oh yesI'm determined to never let Valentin have custody of Charlotte ever again."

"Dianne, this feels all too familiar when we tried to fight for full custody for Charlotte and we first got supervised visits and full custody was still awarded to Valentin and Lulu was heartbroken. How can we make sure this doesn't happen again?"

"Dante, you leave it up to me. I came prepared. The socialworker who was with you during the last supervised visit before the stuff with the Chimera is willing to revisit your home. In fact, when she heard that lulu got shot this past Halloween, she was very concerned about Charlotte, and Kevin Kolins reached out to her. I should have told you, but I hadn't seen you in quite a while. She wants to schedule a visit with you this week at some point. She said she'd get in touch with you."

Just then, Lulu's phone rang and it was Miss Wadkins. She excused herself and went to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"HelloLulu, I wanted to call you because I read some disturbing things in the paper about you and your family, and I'd like to come over to meet with you and Dante. I'd also like to speak with Charlotte, if that's alright."

Suddenly, a bit of panic set in on Lulu's face. Was she coming over to tell them that Charlotte should be withNina in case valentin goes back to Jail, or was she wanting to visit with them to suggest Lulu and Dante get granted full custody of Charlotte? If being with Dante taught her anything, it was to never try to get your hoaps up because she'll set herself up for disappointment, or at least, that's what she told herself, but she was a Spencer, and like Luke had told her once, she holds on to hoap where there often is no hope and in that way, she's like her Mother.

"Um… Okay. When would you like to meet? I was just in the middle of speaking with Dianne Miller to discuss full custody."

"Could we meet on Friday at 2:00? "

"Sure. That works for me. I'll check with Dante so he can put in for that block of time off from work. How long would you like to meet?"

"I'd like to schedule about two hours. One hour to speak with you, and the other to speak with Charlotte, if that would be okay with you."

"Oh. Okay, that works. I'll talk to Charlotte tonight to prepare her."

"That's good. Lulu, you and Dante have shown that you're more than capable of having full custody of Charlotte. I think that's a great idea that you're going to prepare her for my visit."

"Thanks Miss Wadkins. I really appreciate it" Lulu said as a smile spread across her face.

"You're welcome. I look forward to visiting with you on Friday."

"You too. Have a good day. Bye." Lulu said and hung up the phone.

Just then, she walked over to the table where Dante and Dianne were sitting intently waiting for Lulu to come back.

"What did she say?" Dante wondered curiously.

"She'd like to visit with us for two hours. She wants to talk with us and then with Charlotte. She heard what happened Halloween. She's worried about how Charlotte's handling this."

"I see, and I agree. Lulu, will you have Miss. Wadkins send me a copy of her report of the visit so that we can keep track of everything?"

"Yes. We will" Dante said with a hoapful expression on his face.

"Lulu, Dante and I have been talking while you were on the phone with Miss. Wadkins, and I was just explaining to him that I think you have a strong case with everything that's been happening with you lately to gain full custody of Charlotte. In fact, I have already begun to think up a witness list for you that could speak on your behalf so that Nina can't get custody of Charlotte, should Valentin get sentenced to prison."

"Oh really?" Lulu wondered suspiciously.

"Yes. Well, I have one person who I know will help with this, and I think with all of your family's support as well as Dante's, plus this other person's testimony, I say we have a better chance than we did last time. I've done my homework where Nina is concerned, and she's not the prettiest of pictures as far as a record goes for raising Charlotte by herself." Dianne said with a gleeful look in her eye. She was determined to win this case, and they knew that as long as they trusted Dianne with their case, they were in good hands. Dianne's won many cases for the cidizens of Port Charles, and Lulu and Dante both knew that.

Just then, Dianne's phone rang, and she thanked Dante and Lulu for their time, and even offered to pay for their lunch for their compensation.

As Dianne left, Lulu got quiet.

"Dante, what if this doesn't work again. I've been disappointed so many times when it came to Charlotte. I can't go through that again. I can't stomach Nina raising my daughter alone."

"Well, the good thing is, since Nina is Charlotte's stepmother, she really has no say in Charlotte's best interest. You and valentin do. If Valentin gets sentenced, that means Charlotte's best interest is in your hands now."

"This is why I love you. You tell me wen I'm being irrational , or not thinking clearly, and you talk me down from that destructive ledge. I may not always listen, but in the end, I know you're right and can lean on you for support."

"I love you too, Lulu, and I'm always going to support you, no matter what happens, and no matter what you do, even if I don't like it."

"Oh! Can I get that in writing?" Lulu asked jokingly.

"Yes. I'll sign on the dotted line right now that I said that. You have my word" dante joked back before kissing her on the lips.

"Okay. I'm gonna go and pick up Charlotte and Rocco, and we'll wait for you to come home before we have dinner. Do you want anything specific?" Lulu asked lovingly.

"Well, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Whatever we want, I can pick it up on my way home."

"Let me think about that, babe." Lulu said.

"Okay. Just text me what you and the kids want, and I'll get it. I love you." Dante said before leaning in for another kiss.

"I love you too."

Later that day, Lulu drove to the school where she picked up Charlotte and Rocco. She was feeling tired, so she let them play in their room while she took a nap. She was nearing seven months into her pregnancy, so she was getting tired again. She still loved all the changes her body was going through due to her pregnancy and was so happy she actually had the experience of what it finally felt like to be pregnant. When she woke up an hour later, it was approaching 5:00 by this point, and she was dying for Mexican food, so she decided to ask the kids what they wanted.

"Hey guys? What do you want for dinner tonight? I'm thinking of Mexican food."

"That sounds good." Rocco said.

"Can I have a taco with just meat and cheese" Rocco asked politely.

"Of course you can, sweetie. What do you want Charlotte?"

"I'll have the same, but I want sour cream and lettis on mine."

"Okay. I'm gonna text your Dad and let him know what we all want okay? Oh, and I'm seeing you have toys everywhere. If you guys have homework to do, I think you should get started on it. If you need help, I'll come in and help."

"Okay Mommy." Charlotte wined.

Lulu then went to text Dante while Charlotte and Rocco did their homework. The good thing about being raised as a Cassadine was that Charlotte was exceptionally smart, so if Rocco needed help, Charlotte was right there to help. She was pretty advanced for her age, and sometimes, it set her back now that she wasn't being tutored by herself the way Nikolas had all those years ago before going to high school with Lucky, Elizabeth and Emily. People often called her a teachers pet or a nerd for being so smart, and she felt as though she didn't always fit in, until she was with Rocco. Rocco always made her feel welcome and like she fit into their family. Plus, Dante and Lulu wouldn't have it any other way. They raised Rocco to be nice to everyone he met that he was close in age to, and if he couldn't obey them, he'd be in trouble.

At around 6:30 that night, Rocco and Charlotte were done with their homework, and they heard Dante coming through the door with bags in his hand. Lulu, getting really excited about her borito coming ran to the door to open it. She gave Dante kisses, just like the ones she had given when he had returned home to her.

"Hey, baby, I know you're really happy to see me, but can you let me get in the door please?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I was actually more excited to get my borito than anything else. Hi honey." She said putting her arms around him and taking the bags from him.

"get out of your uniform and put some comfortable clothes on and I'll get the dinner ready."

"Ah! I knew you were good for something." Dante said jokingly.

He went into Rocco and Charlotte's room and kissed them before changing into some comfortable clothes, now that he was off work. Lulu got their dinners all sorted out and poured a glass of wine for Dante, and a glass of sparkling cider for herself. The kids, much to Rocco's chagrin got milk. When they all sat down to dinner, Lulu thought she would approach the subject of the visit on Friday.

"Hey Charlotte, I have a question to ask you. Do you guys remember Miss. Wadkins?"

"Yes." Rocco and Charlotte said at the same time.

"Well, Charlotte, she wants to come and visit you on Friday at 2 in the afternoon, so I'll pull you out of school a bit early."

"can I be there too?"

"I think that's great that you want to support Charlotte. Buddy, how would you like it if we could have Charlotte live with us all the time and we wouldn't have to share her with Nina and Valentin?"

Charlotte threw down her fork.

"I'd love that, Mommy!" rocco said excitedly.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Lulu said looking to Charlotte in concern.

"I like Nina. She's always been nice to me, and I miss Papa too. I don't like what happened on Halloween. I still have bad nightmares that Papa's gonna come in the masque and take me away."

"We'll never let that happen honey." Dante said reassuringly.

"Okay, well, I don't mind meeting with her, and if I get to live with you forever, it's okay, as long as Mommy can love me the same as she loves me now."

"Oh sweetheart, I'm gonna love you the same as I'll love you and Rocco and this baby forever and ever. I have enough love for all three of you, and so does Dante. Come here."

Rocco and Charlotte went to Lulu, where they hugged each other tightly.

"Thanks Mommy." Charlotte said feeling better.

"I have another question to ask you guys,and I want both your opinions." Lulu said happily.

"What is it Mommy?" Charlotte wondered curiously.

"Okay, so you know that I'm having a baby, so that means you'll be having a brother or a sister in either late February early March. So, I'll ask you Rocco, what do you want to name the baby?"

Rocco thought before replying. "I don't know."

"Charlotte? What about you."

"Hmm… If it's a girl, can we name it after Nona?"

"Olivia? I was thinking about that. Would you want it to be a middle name or the first name, so for example, would you want the name to be something like Charlotte Olivia?"

Charlotte and Rocco laughed.

"Eww! Why don't we name it Yanky or something."

"Yanky for the Yankies? I love it man, but I can't see your mother going for that, but nice try." Dante said patting him on the back.

"Dante, should we tell them names we've picked out for the baby?"

"Sure. I'll go first. If the baby's a boy, I thought we could name the baby Nathan Michael Falconeri. What do you think?"

"Who's Michael?" Charlotte wondered.

"Well, Michael's my brother, my Father, and my Grandfather's name, and Nathan was my best friend. I figured I could have all of my favorite boys rolled into one by having all their names."

"I like it but I'm not sure how I like the middle name."

"What do you want for the middle name?"

"How about Nathan Lucas falconeri."

"Nathan Lucas?" dante and Lulu said pondering the name over.

"I like it. Plus, there are enough michael's around, and yes, I'm counting Sonny, because his name is Michael." Lulu said jokingly.

"That's true. I like Nathan Lucas. The baby should have both names of the family I think."

"Want to know what we thought for a girl? We have a few names."

"Yeah!" Charlotte said happily.

"Okay. I was thinking of Olivia Nicole, so she could have the first few letters of your Uncle Nikolas who you've never gotten to meet unfortunately Charlotte, and Olivia after your Nona."

"I like it!" Rocco and Charlotte said.

"Okay, so we have the girl down, but what do you guys think of Nathan Lucas? Nathan after Nathan, my best friend who was like a brother to me, and Lucasafter your mother's brother, father and Uncle?"

"I like it okay, but I don't know about the middle name." Rocco said.

"What would you like for a middle name?" Lulu wondered.

"How about Angelo?" Rocco said as he attempted an Italian accent.

"Nathan Angelo Falconeri. I like it." Lulu said.

"Not another Angelo for a kid to be yelled at by." Dante said with a groan.

"I like it, and if you don't stop wining, I think I'm gonna have to start using the middle name, detective Falconeri." Lulu said jokingly.

"Okay, okay. I'll let you have that name buddy. He'll probably look like a Nathan Angelo anyway, if we have a boy. It's not that bad. If we decided to name him Angelo Nathan, that would be worse. Who wants to help me clear the table and then, pick out a book to read?" Dante said getting up from the table.

"We do." Rocco and Charlotte said excitedly.

"Thanks guys. I'm so lucky to have such helpful kids and a loving husband to help clean up. I'm gonna get ready for bed, and come back to hear the story your Dad's gonna read to you."

About a half an hour later as the table was cleared and everyone got ready for bed, Lulu came down to sit in the chair while Dante read them a story. As was always the case, lulu had fallen asleep before the story was finished, and Rocco and Charlotte did too. Dante carried them up the way he always had and kissed Rocco and Charlotte before carrying Lulu up to bed. He figured since Lulu was asleep, he'd watch a little TV and have another glass of wine before heading to bed himself. When he came back in the room at around 11:00, Lulu was still sleeping, and he climbed into bed kissing her before falling asleep himself.

Author's note:

I wanted the kids to have a conversation where they got to think up names for the baby. I also wanted to throw the ideas out that I had for names. Let me know what you guys think of my suggestions. I appreciate all of your reviews, and don't worry; Valentin's not going to get away with this. The next chapter I'm going with will have the trial and Lulu's baby shower, so it will have some fluff mixed in with the drama of the trial. I'm sorry it's taken me a bit to update; I've been going through a lot with a friend who's not doing well, and then, I've been busy getting things ready for school for the fall semester because I'm hoping to graduate in December, or at least, that's my hoap. Enjoy the story. Keep the reviews coming!:)


	7. Chapter 7

Un Expected Miracles

Chapter 7

The next couple of days were very crazy and nervracking for Dante and Lulu as they prepared for Miss. Wadkins's visit. Lulu had made sure the house was clean spotless again, which was driving Dante crazy.

"Baby, I get it that you're nervous about the visit today, but the house is fine. It was fine the first ten times you decided to clean it up. You're not messy, and this isn't a case where you're being investigated for endangering the kids, so stop putting all this extra stress on yourself. It's not good for you or the baby."

"I know, but what if during the visit, I tell the socialworker something, and it prevents me from getting full custody of Charlotte? I can't lose her to Valentin and Nina all over again." Lulu said as she began to sob.

"Shhh, baby, it's gonna be okay. we're gonna be honest with Miss. Wadkins. We're gonna tell her about Charlotte's nightmares, as well as yours, and how your shooting effected the kids, right? Look. Anyone can see just by your actions alone what a great mother you are. You come home from work, and you cook us dinner and we play games with the kids. We don't beat them or raise our voices to them, and they're very safe and secure. They're happy with us, and Miss. Wadkins was able to see that last time, and she'll see it again. Since you're upset, I'm gonna get the kids from school." Dante said hugging and kissing her.

"Okay. Thanks. Have I told you that I love you today with how amazing you are with how you talked me down from a full blown pannic attack?" Lulu sniffed.

"No you didn't, but I'll take it, and I'll never get tired of you telling me how amazing I am and that you love me."

"Okay, let's not get carried away. I didn't say it so that I could boost your ego; I said it because I mean it. You are amazing."

"Thanks baby, but you're amazing. You're the one who's fought so hard for custody, even when I was worried things wouldn't go our way because I thought you were being unrealistic, but you know what? You kept fighting with that Spencer pried, which even though sometimes, that pride is what gets you into trouble, in this case, I owe whatever happens in the court room all to you, and even if things don't go in our favor, I know you won't stop fighting until we finally get Charlotte and velentin has to turminate his rights. You're the amazing one. I love you." Dante said as he kissed and hugged her before walking out.

Lulu was nervous. She thought she needed to clean the house again, but it should be fine; Right? Dante said it looked fine. She made sure the kids picked their toys off the floor, and made sure to make Charlotte scones for a snack when she came home. She wanted everything to be perfect so that Miss. Wadkins couldn't find any reasons why Charlotte didn't belong to her and Dante.

"Stop freaking yourself out. Everything's fine. Relax. For once, listen to Dante." Lulu thought to herself. So, she decided to pour herself a cup of tea. She didn't particularly like tea all that much, but because Dante told her she could only have one cup of coffee in the morning, she would drink tea. This was driving her crazy at how Dante was hovering over her like this. She knew it was out of love, and though she knew that it was her first pregnancy, it was really annoying her, and Dante still never knew that she would sneak coffee when she'd go out with Laura or Maxie. Plus, Dr. Nero said it was fine for her to have coffee, if she limited her cafeen intake and switched to decaf every once in a while, but she didn't. She figured the occasional second cup of coffee wasn't all that bad, but today, she'd listen to Dante because she was pretty wound up, and the tea might calm her down.

Just then, Dante, Rocco and Charlotte came in the house.

"Hi Mommy." They both said at the same time.

"Hi guys, how was school today?" Lulu said getting up to kiss them, just as she did every day they'd come home from school.

"It was great! Mommy, I have to make a tornado for my science project. We're having a science fare at the end of the year." Rocco said excitedly.

"Oh that's cool buddy. Do you have to do anything else with it, like a bbook report and a presentation?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome! I'd love to help you with that." Lulu said excitedly.

"I'll help too buddy." Dante said.

"Do you have a science project too?" Lulu asked Charlotte.

"Yeah. I want to make a rain forest."

"oh cool! Ya know what would be really cool? we could all do this as kind of a group thing. I could help you both with the reports, and Dante could help with making your projects for the fare. How does that sound?"

"Oh great! That means I get to go out and pick up twigs and deal with all the bugs? No thank you!" Dante joked to Charlotte.

"oh come on Dante, it will be fun. We don't have to do it for a while anyway. The fair isn't until the last week of May, early June."

"Yeah daddy. We were just told about this today in school by the science teacher. She wanted us to think about it and start working on it now. Charlotte and I were the only ones who had ideas for what we wanted to do for our projects."

"That's good." Lulu said. Then, they heard a knock at the door and it was Miss. Wadkins. Dante went to answer the door.

"Hello Miss. Wadkins, come in."

"Thanks Dante." She said as he closed the door to let her in.

"Hi Lulu. Hello Charlotte and Rocco." Miss wadkins said getting down to their level to shake the kids hands.

"Hi." They both said at the same time.

"Rocco and Charlotte, why don't you go in your room and play while Dante and I talk to Miss Wadkins okay? Charlotte, after that, later on, she'd like to talk to you too. Can you do that?" Lulu asked her daughter.

"Yeah. I can do that." Charlotte said confidently.

"Can I talk to her too?" Rocco wondered.

"Well, Rocco, of course you can, if you have something you'd like to say to me. I'd be happy to talk to you."Miss. wadkins said smiling up at him.

"When you come back to the kitchen, I have a surprise for you too for a snack." Lulu said happily.

"Yay!" Rocco and Charlotte both said excitedly, as they ran into their room.

"Sit down and make yourself comfortable." Dante said invitingly to Miss. Wadkins.

"Thank you. So, Lulu, I hear you're expecting. You look good!"

"Thank you. Rocco and Charlotte are very excited, just as Dante and I are. It was a shock. I had accepted that I would never get pregnant, and sure enough, a miracle happened. I'm due in late February early March."

"Oh wow! An unexpected miracle. Those are the best kinds of miracles. Don't you think?" Miss. Wadkins asked.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sinical but when you put it that way, I think you're right. I usually don't believe in miracles; it's either chance, luck or random that things happen like this. Or, I think that sometimes things happen for a reason, but yeah. I'd say we got pretty lucky this time. Dante's the believer and has faith. More so than I do."

"I see. Well, congratulations just the same. Now, let's get down to it. I understand you were shot on Halloween. That must have been very traumatic for you."

Dante cleared his throat before speaking. "it was. For all of us. Lulu almost died. Charlotte had nightmares and so did Rocco that night. The nightmares have slowed down,but occasionally Charlotte still has them."

"How has it effected you Dante?"

"Well, at first, I was very angry, and I punched Valentin. As you know, he's gotten away with a lot of stuff in the past, specifically killing Lulu's brother. Then, there was the chimera at the nurses ball that Helena wanted Jake to showcase for his magic trick. Valentin sold it to her. So, when I found out that he was the one who shot Lulu right in front of the kids, I lost it."

"That is completely understandable. We often explode with emotions that have been bottled up inside. You know that's what leads more men to suffer heart attacks by holding in their emotions?"

"Okay shrink." Dante joked.

"Anyway, once Lulu was home and she was completely recovered, things got better. When she was first home, I wouldn't leave her side for a second. I hated going back to work because I wasn't sure what I would find when I got back home. The commissioner was very generous and allowed me some time off to take care of my family, and that's what I did."

"What about you Lulu? Dante, it sounds like you've been the one to keep this family together, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, I tried, but I don't think so."

"oh no. I agree with Miss. Wadkins. Dante's always the one to try to take care of everyone else and be strong for everyone else, and he knows he doesn't have to do it with me, but he does anyway. We do cry and he will get emotional, and I think it's because I know him so well, he can't hide things from me that well at all, just as I can't hide things from him, even though I try to pretend like everything's fine. I've always done that. This was different though. When I was in the hospital, I didn't remember much when I first woke up, but then, when Dante saw me, things slowly started coming back to me. The more I remembered, the more anxious I'd get, especially when I came home. Dante was right by my side through the screaming and the teers. I kept having dreams that I was shot, and Valentin and Nina took Charlotte away from me, and worse, I had nightmares that valentin came back and killed Charlotte to send the message that if they couldn't have her, I couldn't have her as well."

Dante noticed Lulu was starting to get teary and look anxious, and so did Miss. Wadkins. Dante went to grab Lulu a tissue.

"Here you go baby." Dante said while giving her a gentle hug.

"Lulu, I can see that this has been a huge ordeal for you and the family, and I'm truely sorry. Besides the nightmares that you and the children are having, how is everything else going?"

Dante and Lulu both breathed a sigh of relief at the change in subject from the shooting.

"Things are great. Rocco and Charlotte continue doing well in school, and they even told us what names they want for the baby. I'm not sure how I like the name Rocco picked out, but I want them to be a part in everything, just so they feel loved and that they don't feel neglected once the baby comes."

"It's natural for children to feel that their mother might love the new sibling more than them. But the good thing is, the kids are older and they may even want to participate in the care of the baby after it's born." Miss Wadkins said.

"That's what we're hoping for. Charlotte asked me if I'd love the baby more than I love her and Rocco, and I told her that I have enough love for all of them. I hugged them both to reassure them, and they seemed to feel better. Then, we asked about names for the baby, and they each picked out a name they liked."

"That's good. It sounds like the two of you have been appropriately preparing your children for the baby while also giving them the space to appropriately adjust. I won't really know how they're adjusted until I talk to both Charlotte and Rocco. I see no reason why they can't remain in your custody. The home is clean, and you both are perfect parents, if I do say so myself. I tell you this. If I were in charlotte's shoes, I'd love it if you were my mother. The home looks so warm and welcoming."

"Thank you." Dante and Lulu said.

"Would you like some coffee while you wait for the kids?" Dante asked.

"Sure. I'd love some. Thank you for offering."

"Okay. I made a fresh pot. Lulu, get Charlotte."

"Okay. I'll be right back. I think while you talk with Charlotte, I'll talk to Rocco for a minute, just to give her privacy, unless, you want me to sit with her?"

"Why don't we ask Charlotte what she feels comfortable with. She is a bright little girl, but I want the choice to be up to her." Miss. Wadkins said.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Dante handed Miss. Wadkins her coffee while Lulu went to get Charlotte. Rocco was struggling a little bit in Math, so she decided to help Rocco with the Math while Dante sat with Miss. Wadkins to be there for support for Charlotte. Charlotte happily went in the kitchen and smiled up at Dante and Miss. Wadkins.

"Hi Miss. Wadkins." Charlotte said politely.

"Hello Charlotte, how are things going with you? I heard you have a science fare coming up? You must be excited."

"Yeah. I am. I've never been to one before and the other kids say they're fun."

"I think you'll have a great time. Now, tell me. How do you like living with Dante and lulu?"

"I like it. I didn't like it at first, because when I found out that Lulu was my Mommy, I wanted my Mommy."

"The mother you were raised with who you thought was your mother? That must have been very scarey and hard for you to adjust to."

"Yeah, but one day last year,I was at Nina's office, and my Nannie and Papa never picked me up. They called Mommy, and she came to get me. Nina works for a magazine, and she was working all night, so I stayed with Dante and Lulu."

"I remember that. Did you like spending time with dante and Lulu?"

"Yes. We played games, and Dante read me and Rocco a story and we went to bed. Then, for the nurses ball, Mommy bought me a dress that I wore. Jake Spencer was doing a magic show, but didn't want to do it anymore so he stopped, and then, Papa had to go away for a while and Mommy and Dante told me that they didn't know when he would come back. He wanted to take me to Niagra Falls, but the police found us and Dante and Mommy took me back."

"So, you were taking terns with staying with Nina and Dante and Lulu?"

"no. I lived with Mommy and Dante most of the time and then, when Papa came back, I'd stay sometimes with him and Nina."

"And that seemed to work well for you until Halloween, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can you tell me what happened that night charlotte?"

Charlotte started to squirm a bit in her chair, and that's when Dante went over to her.

"It's okay honey. I'm right here. Wanna drink?"

"Yes please. Can I have some juice?"

"Of course. I'll make you a deal. Why don't you take a sip of juice, and then, tell Miss. Wadkins what happened from your memory okay? I'll stay right here." Dante said as he kissed her cheek.

"It's a deal!" Charlotte said happily.

Dante came back a few seconds later with Charlotte's juice. Charlotte took a sip and then began to tell the story.

"Nina took the day off to help me get ready to go trick or treating, and then, Papa said he would take me out. I heard them talking the night before because I stayed with them. Nina was mad, and said something about Mommy."

"What did she say? Why was she mad at your Mommy Charlotte?"

"I don't know. She said something about planning something where I couldn't be with Mommy and Dante anymore. Then on Halloween, I saw Rocco and Mommy, and I wanted to go over and talk to them. Mommy saw me and told me she liked my princess costume. I told her that I was Snow White. I was gonna walk with her to another house to get more candy, and a man came out of the bushes with a masque. I was scared and so was Rocco. Mommy saw that the man had a gun, and then, I heard a noise that sounded like fireworks and Rocco and I saw blood and Mommy fall down."

"You're doing very good Charlotte even though I can see this is upsetting you. Dante, can you give her some more juice, and it looks like there are scones over there. Can you get her one? Do you like scones sweetie?" Miss. Wadkins asked.

Charlotte just smiled at her and waited for Dante to come back with the juice and the scone.

"Here you go, baby." Dante said giving her a plate with the scone and a napkin.

"Thank you Dante." Charlotte said politely.

"Okay Charlotte, you can continue."

"When the police came to take Mommy to the hospital, Rocco and I stayed with my Nona."

"And your Nona is who?" Miss. Wadkins asked.

"My mother. She loves taking care of the kids when Lulu and I are working." Dante interjected.

"Okay. Thanks Dante. So, how did you find out who shot your mother?"

"Well, I had a bad dream that Papa came over to us and shot her. I thought she was gonna die and in my dream, she did. He had the same masque on that the man had on Halloween. Then, I heard on the news that he was the suspect in the shooting. What's a suspect?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"A suspect is someone we think could have done something, but we're not sure. So, if I said that I suspect Charlotte stole my scone, I have to investigate and find out if you really stole the scone, and if not, I have to go to the next person who I'm guessing could have stolen it. Does that make sense?" Dante asked after explaining things to Charlotte.

"I think so. It's like you're guessing until you actually know who stole the scone?" Charlotte asked.

"You got it!" Dante said excitedly.

"Go on Charlotte." Miss. Wadkins said.

"Then, when Mommy came home one night, I heard her screaming and she said she had bad dreams too that Papa killed me, and Dante told her that Papa wouldn't hurt me ever again because he was sure he wouldn't get anywhere near us. Dante would make sure of it."

Suddenly, Dante felt a pang of guilt rush over him. Why did kids always seem to hear things that grownups want to shelter them from like potential murderers. Grownups have to talk too, and though Dante and Lulu tried to discuss adult conversations when the kids were asleep, they were older and kids tended to pick things like this up very quickly without even meaning to.

"I'm sorry Charlotte. I didn't know you heard that. Your mother and I tried to talk about this when you and Rocco were sleeping. How come you didn't come to us about it? Did you think we wouldn't tell you? You know, you can come to me or your mother with anything, right?"

"I know Dante. I didn't know how to ask about Papa, so I just didn't. Am I in trouble?" Charlotte said anxiously.

"Oh God, no. You're not in trouble. I just want you to know that you can come to us. Even though we're not very happy with your Papa right now, we know it's nothing you did. You're a great kid, and we love you." Dante said giving her hand a gentle squeez.

"Dante, you have nothing to feel guilty for. I saw your expression on your face. Kids pick things up very quickly that grownups talk about, so it makes perfect sense that Charlotte and Rocco, I'm going to assume would hear you and Lulu talking about Velentin shooting Lulu and how that effected the two of you as parents."

"Charlotte, do you still have nightmares?"

"They're not as bad now that Mommy's home. She helped me a lot and so did Dante. Every night that I screamed and cried because of the bad dreams, they both would come in my room and hold me until I fell asleep."

"How would you feel if you were to live with Dante and Lulu permanently and not with your Papa and Nina."

"I'd like that a lot. I love Papa, but I don't like that he tried to kill Mommy." Charlotte said as she began to cry.

"Okay, Miss. Wadkins, I think Charlotte's had enough, right? Wanna go play? Come here baby. It's okay." Dante said, while hugging Charlotte.

"I think you're right, and before you try, there's no need for an appology. She's been through quite an ordeal these past few months, and is about to get dragged through another custody battle. I think this one will go abit more smoothly for all of you."

"Do you still want to talk to Rocco?"

"No, unless, he wants to talk to me." Miss. Wadkins said.

"Okay. I'll get Lulu so that we can talk as grownups okay?"

"sounds good. Well, Charlotte, it was very nice to see you again. I'm sorry I had to ask you some pretty tough questions, but you handled it very well, and I think that deserves another scone." Miss. Wadkins said, giving Charlotte a gentle pat on the back.

"Here you go Charlotte. Eat it here and then, you can go play." Dante said.

When Charlotte was done eating her second scone, Miss. Wadkins waited patiently while Dante went to get Lulu. When they came ack, Miss. Wadkins put down her notepad and looked up.

"Okay Dante and Lulu. I've written things down, both that we've talked about and then while talking to Charlotte. When I write up my report, I will send it to the both of you and you can then send it along to anyone of your choosing. I will also provide Dianne Miller a copy of it as well so that she'll have it, but before I do that, you can review the report and if there are any changes you'd like me to make, just let me know. It's my personal opinion that Charlotte belongs with the two of you. I think she'll be much safer and I think it's in her best interest if she stays with you and Dante. What do you think?"

"I agree." They both said at the same time.

"I don't want that bastard near my daughter ever again. He murdered my brother for no reason at all, and he tried to kill me so that I couldn't get full custody of her, so I definitely agree with your report."

"I haven't written it yet, but I'm glad you do. I would just like to see what the bedrooms llook like so that I can write everything down for the assessment to make my case stronger."

"Oh absolutely." Lulu said happily as she led Miss. Wadkins down the hallway to their bedrooms.

As she walked around first Dante and Lulu's room, then Rocco and Charlotte's room, she jotted things down as she went looking very pleased. Lulu came back to sit at the table with Dante. Miss. Wadkins had stayed a bit longer than anticipated and by this point, it was approaching 4:00, which meant Lulu was starting to get tired.

"Baby, you okay?" Dante wondered as he noticed Lulu getting quiet.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine. I'm just tired." Lulu said, letting out a yawn.

"I know. It's been a long day." Dante said kissing her forehead.

Then, Miss. Wadkins came out of the living room and back into the kitchen.

"Okay well, Dante and Lulu, everything looks good and like I said before, if I were in the position Charlotte's in and if you could be my parents, I'd love to live with you. You'll be hearing from me by Monday. This is a very special case, and so I'm gonna work hard on it this weekend. For now, you both take care, and congratulations on the baby."

"Thanks. Want us to walk you out?" Dante asked.

"Oh no thank you. I'll see myself out. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me. Lulu, you have my number, and Dante, I'll give you my business card."

"Thank you." Dante said extending his hand to take the card from her.

"You're welcome. Have a good weekend, and you'll have the report first thing Monday morning." Miss. Wadkins said before walking out and closing the door.

"Few! Now, I can breathe again! How do you think that went Dante? I think it went better than okay this time. I know I say it all the time when things like this have happened, but I really believe it this time. I have a feeling that this is gonna work, and we'll get Charlotte in our custody."

"I do too. I can't bare to see you hurt again, and I think this little one is bringing us good luck. Huh? Are you giving us good luck? Or maybe, it just goes with the territory of you being our little miracle?" dante said in a sing song voice as he put his hand on Lulu's belly.

"oh my God! I don't even want to think about how you're gonna be once this baby is born." Lulu said jokingly.

"I'll probably be worse than this. You think I'm bad now, you wait." Dante said.

"So, how about that nap. You look tired." Dante said.

"I am, but I'm energized now. I'm really happy about how the visit went today. I was freaking out before, but now, things couldn't be more perfect."

"I know, but you have to rest. I know you're happy, but you get cranky when you get overtired, so humor us and just go take a nap. Don't worry about supper. I feel like celebrating, so, what do you say to some nice Italian or Chinese food?" Dante said.

"Ooooo! Well, my vote's on Chinese food. I think I can actually eat it without getting sick. Can we please try it?"

"Yes, but the first sign of any sickness, I'm taking it away from you and you're gonna eat something you can tolerate, okay?"

"Okay." Lulu said as Dante helped her out of the chair so she could go to her room and take a nap.

Later that evening, Dante took the kids to pick up the food so that he could tell them about what Miss. Wadkins said and they were very happy with what she had to say, especially Rocco. Rocco loved having Charlotte around and hoped that Miss. Wadkins would let her stay with them, and that's what happened. When they came back, Dante woke Lulu up and they all ate dinner as a family, and to Lulu's sadisfaction, she didn't get sick and ate all of what she ordered, including two eggroles.

Before they all went to bed, Dante read to Charlotte and Rocco. Things were looking better and better for the Falconeri family, and they hoped things would continue looking up for them.


	8. Chapter 8

Un Expected Miracles

Chapter 8

During the beginning of the second week in December, Dante and Lulu received the report from Miss. Wadkins, and as soon as Lulu checked her email, she decided to call Dante so that they could go over it together before they discussed anything with Dianne. Dante wanted Dianne's feedback, sohe he had called her and since Lulu was working at Arora Media and they had space at the Metro Court hotel, Dianne suggested to meet them for lunch there.

Luckally, Dante had the day off, and Jorden was being very generous since he had come back. Dante didn't know if it was because her relationship with Curdis was that good and if the sex was that good, or if it was something else. He wanted to find out, but he figured that maybe he should just leave it alone in case she decided to change her mind. Detective Chase wasn't so lucky though. Jorden was working him like a dog. So, after Dante drove the kids to school and did a few things around the house, he drove to the Metro Court to meet Dianne and Lulu for lunch.

"Oh Dante! So nice of you to join Lulu and me for lunch."

"Dianne, you know exactly why I'm here, so you can forget the niceties." Dante said jokingly to her.

"Okay well, I think this calls for a celebratory lunch, which for Lulu my deer, it will have to consist of sparkling cider while Dante and I shal have a glass of wine. What do you all say?"

"sounds good to me." Lulu said, and Dianne flagged the waitress down. When they got their drinks and their meals, Dianne decided to get right down to the task at hand.

"Alright. Have you both been able to look at the report?"

"Yes." Dante and Lulu both said in unison.

"Okay. This is great! I think we have a really good case as to why Valentin and Nina aren't fit to raise that child. She makes compelling arguments, especially with how the shooting effected the family unit, which is what we wanted to see. Has she gotten a chance to speak to Rocco?"

"No. She ran out of time, and she said she was pretty sure that she didn't need to talk to him because of everything we said."

"Oh okay, but I think that would have made for a stronger case, but it's okay. Maybe, we can have her talk to Rocco separately. Can either one of you see if you can arrange that?"

"Yes." Lulu said as she bit into her meal.

"Okay. Now, I want to let you know that valentin and Nina are going to bring up everything just to make you look bad, especially you Lulu. I'm sure they know about the time that you killed Logan, and the biggest threat is obviously with the fact that Rocco'sGrandfather is a mob boss."

"Dammit! I'm getting so sick of Sonny's organization being a threat to us. That's what prevented us from adopting a childwhen we were trying to adopt before considering Maxie for the surrogate." Dante said in frustration.

"Dante, I completely understand your frustration, but that's what opposing attorneys do when they're trying to argue that Valentin and Nina should keep Charlotte. You know this."

"I know, but still. As much as it pains me to say and defend sonny,everyone knows that when it comes to families with children, hurting the children is a no no, and believe it or not, Sonny does love his family. Family always comes first, even though sometimes, he has a funny way of showing it."

"Dante, I know, but if you want to argue that in the court room, you have to leave that part out. Believe me, I know Sonny, and I know that his family means more to him then the business, and I know that I can shut that lawyer down if they try to make that argument."

"Thanks. We have complete faith in you that you'll do whatever it takes to shut the lawyer down and win the case in our favor." Lulu said.

"So, let's have a toast to the Falconeri family being complete with the baby and getting custody of Charlotte! Lulu, raise that glass!" Dianne said to her as Dante was raising his glass.

"Here here!" they all shouted from their table as they clinked their glasses.

"I'll be in touch okay? Thanks for meeting with me so that we could discuss things. Oh and lunch, again is on me."

"You know, you don't always have to pay for us. We're capable of paying our own way and for you too. Dante said in an attempt to protest.

"Nope. You need to save all of your earnings for that bundle that Lulu is carrying around. You'll need all the moneyfor paying for three kids to go to college." Dianne quipt .

"Well, thanks for lunch Dianne. I have to go back to work, or else, Peter will have my head." Lulu said getting out of her chair.

"Bye baby. I'll see you at home. I love you." Dante said giving her a hug and rubbing her belly.

"Bye." Lulu said as she walked out of the restaurant.

"Hey Dianne, do you have some time? I want to discuss something with you and now that Lulu's out, I want this to be a surprise, so don't tell her."

"Of course I have a minute for you. Sonny's family always gets extra time on my retainer. What can I do for you Dante?"

"Well, I'd like to legally adopt Charlotte. Do you think you could get the ball rolling on that?"

"oh absolutely I can do that! Lulu won't know until the trial because I am going to add that into your case to make the strong argument that by you adopting Charlotte, that will secure her stability. I can't promise that valentin will be so willing to terminate his rights, but we can try."

"Thanks so much. I'll talk to Miss. Wadkins about it too because I want this done the right way. I don't want any special favors, okay?"

"Okay." Dianne said.

"Keep me posted on what happens once you've drawn up the papers for the adoption and I'm going to leave a message for Miss. Wadkins as well so that everyone's on the same page." Dante informed Dianne.

"Okay, detective. You get on that, and I'll draw up adoption papers, and we'll be good to go!" Dianne said excitedly before walking out of the restaurant. Dante ordered a cup of coffee after Dianne left and then sent an email and left a voicemail for Miss. Wadkins. He felt a little guilty doing this behind Lulu's back, but he also loved surprising her, especially if she knew that this had to do with adopting Charlotte making her his daughter. He knew that once Lulu found out what he had done and especially if he made it official, she would be really happy. His thoughts were interrupted by his phone vibrating, and when he looked at the caller ID, it wasMiss. . Wadkin's cell phone.

"Hello Miss. Wadkins, how are you?"

"Hi Dante. I'm doing very well. I wanted to talk to you about your request to adopt Charlotte officially. Do you have a minute?"

"Yes. I do!" he said as he sipped his coffee.

"Okay. I think that's a great idea. First, let me ask you why do you want to adopt Charlotte?"

"Well, it's kind of a no brainer. I really have come to love her during the time I got to spend with her and especially during the time she spent with me and Lulu. The longer she spent with us, the more attached I got to her and the more she was able to get to know me and my family. She loves her brother Rocco and she's also gotten to love her mother too. I also think that given what happened on Halloween, it made all of our bonds stronger." Dante couldn't believe this, but as he was talking, he got some teers in his eyes, but quickly wiped them away. He didn't want to risk Miss. Wadkins noticing he was almost about to cry. Thankfully, she didn't.

"Okay. You've certainly convinced me of your reason why you want to adopt her. I didn't doubt for a second how much you love her. I also agree with you that what happened on Halloween would strengthen the bonds with everyone you have, especially knowing you could have lost your wife. You're a very appreciative person Dante, and I honestly think that you'd be a great adoptive father. I don't know how Valentin Cassadine is going to feel about terminating his rights, but I'm going to speak with him and his wife to let them know your decision to adopt Charlotte. I think she'd be better off with you and Lulu anyway, and adopting Charlotte will only reaffirm that stability. I'd like to meet with Rocco to find out how he would feel about that, if that's alright."

"oh yeah. That's fine. When would you like to do that?"

"Will you be free tomorrow at around 3 in the afternoon?"

"Yes. That's perfect. I'll pick him up from school at 2:30 and then, we can meet you somewhere. I'd like to surprise Lulu with the adoption, so can we keep this between us?"

"Well, Dante, that's your choice. I'm not going to keep secrets from anyone, but if that's what you want to do, then you can surprise her yourself."

"Okay. Can we meet you at Kelly's Diner?"

"Sure. I'll pencil you in at 3 tomorrow. Take care Dante."

"You too Miss. Wadkins. Bye." Dante said hanging up the phone as a smile spread across his face. He then looked at the clock and decided to pick the kids up from school. As he was driving, he got a text from Lulu saying she had to work late, thanks to Peter. She had to go out of town for a little while to interview someone for yet another big story, but this time, it was a few towns away from Port Charles. She wasn't happy, but this worked to Dante's advantage, so he didn't mind at all. He wanted to talk to Rocco and Charlotte anyway about what he did today.

He felt badly for Lulu that she had to work late, but quickly texted her back telling her he loved her and drove off to pick the kids up. A few hours later, after their homework was finished, Dante decided to take them out to dinner at Kelly's. Charlotte ordered a grilled cheese sandwitch and Rocco ordered a cheeseburger. Dante ordered a BLT. When their dinners came out, that's when Dante decided to talk with the kids.

"Rocco and Charlotte, I wanted to talk to you guys about something I've been thinking about ever since I came back from my assignment."

"What is it?" Charlotte wondered in surprise.

"Well, Charlotte, it has to do with you. How would you like it if I adopted you so that you could be my daughter?"

"Wait. So, I won't be with Papa and Nina anymore?"

"No. See, Charlotte, I know this might be hard to understand, so I'm gonna try to explain it to you guys okay? If I want to adopt you and make you mine, we need to go to court. Your Papa will have to admit to the bad things he did and then make it so that you can be mine with his lawyer so that it's official. Us adults call it terminating his rights. That means like I said that he'll tell the judge with his lawyer there that he's willing to let you be my daughter. Does that make sense?"

"I guess so, but then, what would happen to Papa and Nina?"

"well, they'll go on with their lives. Charlotte, this wouldn't mean you could never see them again; you just wouldn't be living with them anymore and you won't have to go to different homes all the time."

"will I have to call you Daddy?"

"I'll leave that up to you. If you want to call me Papa Dante, you can do that, although, I'll feel old. If you want to call me Daddy, that's fine too. If you want to just call me Dante, then, you can do that too. It is a change and that's why I wanted to talk to you both first. Rocco, how do you feel about that buddy?" Dante asked.

"I want Charlotte to live with us all the time. I don't want her going to be with her Papa. He was mean. He tried to make Mommy die."

"I know that, but don't talk like that about Papa. I know he loves me. I think he was scared. Stop it!" Charlotte screamed.

"Okay guys. I'm sorry. Buddy, I think we need to lay off Charlotte a little bit. This is hard for her. She grew up with Valentin and he's really the only parent she knows because he was there when she was a baby. Mommy would have been there if she could, but she didn't know about Charlotte then. Charlotte does love Valentin and Nina, so we have to be nice and let her figure this out in her head okay? Got it?"

Rocco felt bad that he made Charlotte upset.

"sorry Charlotte. I just don't like your Papa because of what he did to Mommy. That's all. I didn't mean to make you cry."

Dante gave Charlotte a tissue and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

"It's okay. I'll think about it and let you know okay Dante?"

"You don't have to rush Charlotte. I did ask you a big question so take all the time you need okay?"

"Okay."

"Rocco, Miss. Wadkins wants to talk to you tomorrow about how you feel about what's been going on and about what I just asked you tonight. Is that okay my man?"

"Yeah. When are we gonna meet her?"

"Tomorrow after school. I'll pick the two of you up and Rocco, you and I can meet here and talk to her."

"Okay, and if Mommy can't come and get me from Kelly's, can I go play with a few of my friends tomorrow?"

"Sure. Let's talk to Mommy when she comes home if it's not too late, otherwise, we can talk to her before you guys go to school in the morning."

"okay." Rocco and Charlotte said in unison.

"Charlotte, you okay?"

"Yeah. Now that Rocco said he was sorry about what he said about Papa, I feel better."

"okay. Who wants dessert?" Dante asked excitedly.

"Me!" both Rocco and Charlotte said again at the same time.

When the waitress came over to their table, Dante ordered their dessert. Before they left,he went to get Lulu some dessert too. She had been craving a brownie and just in case she didn't get to stop anywhere to get one, he ordered one from Kelly's to go for her.

During the drive home, the kids were quiet, which made things easy for Dante to think. He wanted Charlotte to agree to the adoption, but he also knew that it would be hard for her to accept and process all of this. As he told rocco and Charlotte at dinner, Valentin was the only parent she had ever known for her whole life, so it would be no surprise that a part of her would worry about him. She also grew to love Nina and Dante was sure that if he could go back and be a kid and if he was put in her position, he wouldn't be able to understand all of this stuff at her age. He knew that like Rocco, Lulu would try to convince Charlotte that having Dante adopt her would be the best for all of them, but they had to consider Charlotte's feelings too, even though they might feel differently on the matter. Charlotte saw a different side to Valentin than Lulu and Dante had seen. She saw the caring and loving side of him; not this vile disgusting monster who kills people for no reason at all, or attempts to kill anyone to send the message that if he and Nina can't be the custodial parents of Charlotte, then nobody can have her. All that mattered right now is Charlotte and while he knows that Lulu would agree, if she found out what he was planning on doing, she would jump at the chance to make sure Valentin could never get her and Dante would be her adoptive father. Thinking of all this, Dante was sure that he had made the right decision by not telling Lulu.

Charlotte wasn't the only one to consider though. They also had to consider rocco's feelings too. Rocco had to see his mother getting shot right in front of him which would be traumatic for anyone to see. Also, when he found out that Charlotte was his sister, and when she was allowed to stay with them when Valentin went to Jail, Rocco and Charlotte formed the brother and sister bond that most kids form, so it was only natural that Rocco would want Charlotte to live with them and hate velentin for what he did to his mother. Dante, even though he was in full agreement with Rocco also knew that Charlotte's feelings were hurt by what Rocco said, but in his mind, just like Rocco's, he was right. Valentin now has no business raising Charlotte, and Dante would never forgive himself if he allowed her to go back and live with him and Nina after what he did and if that meant he was being selfish, he didn't care. Lulu had enough heartbreak with Charlotte ever since she found out she was her daughter and he wasn't about to let her go through more. She would have lost her life if the police weren't called right away and she would have never gotten the chance to see Rocco or Charlotte ever again if that happened, and for that, Dante wasn't taking any chances, except for how charlotte felt. He hoped she'd eventually warm up to the idea of Dante adopting her.

When they arrived home, Charlotte had fallen asleep. Dante decided to take her inside first. He put her winter pajamas on gently and kissed her cheek.

"I love you Charlotte and I'm sorry this is gonna be hard for you, but no matter what you decide, your mother and I will always love you, even if you don't want me to adopt you. Goodnight sweetheart."

Then, he went to check on Rocco who was sitting on the couch looking deep in thought.

"What's up, buddy?" Dante said sitting next to him.

"I feel bad about what I said to Charlotte, but I don't want her living with the man who tried to kill Mom." He said firmly.

"I know, and I feel the same way, but we need to realize that Charlotte does love valentin, just like you love me. It's automatic, right?"

"Yeah. I guess so. But I know you wouldn't kill someone like that."

"No I wouldn't, but unfortunately, there are bad people in the world who do mean things like that, but someone like Valentin can be nice to Charlotte and that's why it's hard for her to say that she wants me to be her father."

"Oh kind of like Grandpa Sonny? He kills people for a living, but I know he loves me and would help me if I needed it."

"Yeah, buddy, see? You got it. Like that. Your grandfather, unlike Valentin though does have something called morals, which means he knows what he does is wrong, so if he were in a situation like this and he shot someone to send a message that someone couldn't have their child, especially a child's mother, he would go to Jail. See, the difference between Sonny and Valentin is that when it comes to protecting his family, even though I don't like it, he will do whatever he can to protect us, including kill his enomies if that's what it takes, but only if he sees them as a threat. Valentin doesn't think Lulu is a threat, he just doesn't want the arrangements to change, and neither does Nina. So, knowing that Nina felt threatened, he's gonna do whatever it takes to make sure Charlotte can stay with them, even if it means shooting Lulu and killing her, if that's what it would take. Luckallly, that didn't happen, but you get the point I think. Right?"

"Yeah, but Dad, does that mean that Valentin protected Nina?"

"no. Nina just wanted Lulu out of the way, and Valentin because he's an evil man knew that shooting and hopefully killing your mother would get her out of the way from them keeping Charlotte. Plus, Nina has no say in the matter where Charlotte's concerned. It's all in valentin's cards, so he messed that up big time. If he gets sentenced to Jail, Charlotte won't be with Nina, she'll be with us. I want to adopt Charlotte to secure that."

"Oh okay. Thanks Dad. Can you read me a story now?"

"Well, it's a little late, but sure. I'll read you one and then, it's off to bed for you okay?"

"Okay."

Dante read a story to Rocco who surprisingly stayed awake for the story. He helped him brush his teeth just because of the night he had, and he felt like he could use that support from his father. He checked on Charlotte, who was still sleeping and put Rocco into bed before kissing him and shutting off the light.

As he shut the door, he heard the kitchen door unlock, open and then close, and it was Lulu who finally came home. Dante was just coming in the kitchen to get a beer.

"Oh my God! I'm finally home and I'm exhausted! I don't see how you detectives can sit in the car when you go on steakouts. I'd go out of my mind." Lulu said as she kissed and hugged her husband.

"Well, babe, that's because number one, we're not pregnant, and number two, we have lots of coffee to keep us occupied and awake."

"I know, but still."

"Did you eat?" Dante asked.

"Yeah. I got something when I was on the road coming here. I would have been home sooner, but I had to keep making pit stops to the bathroom."

"I'm sorry baby. I bet that's the one thing you won't miss when the baby's born." Dante said rubbing her belly again.

"That's the only thing I won't miss. The only thing I'm hungry for is a chocolate dessert."

"Well, you're in luck because I got you a brownie."

"Yes! From Kelly's? I love you! Get a beer and I'll eat my brownie with you."

He went to the fridge and got the brownie for Lulu and sat next to her to drink the beer. She inhaled it and it was gone very quickly. Dante laughed at her. She was acting as if she had never eaten dessert a day in her life and she had been starving for it all day.

"Thanks honey. That hit the spot."

"Oh good. So, what's on the adjenda for tomorrow?"

"Well, I have to write the story. I can either do it at home, or I can write it in the office. I'm gonna see if I can do it at home because I can't get up that early after driving all that time."

"I hear ya. I'm sure you could use the extra sleep."

" Yeah. Well, if peter doesn't let me, I'll just ask either Sam or Drew and they'll let me have the day off to write the story at home."

"You're a great reporter, ya know that? I know I had reservations about you investigating Peter, but you proved me wrong. You've been able to stay safe, and that's all I want for you."

"I know, but if you could have trusted that I knew what I was doing in the beginning, we wouldn't have needed to constantly argue about it. Right? Am I right, or am I right, detective?" Lulu asked jokingly.

"Okay, okay. I'll say it. You're right."

"Thank you! Now, let's go to bed. I'm wiped." Lulu said as she let out a yawn.

"Okay. I think I'm ready for bed too." Dante agreed.

"How were the kids tonight?"

"They were good. They ate dinner and Charlotte fell asleep when we were driving home, andRocco and I had some father and son time after I put her to bed."

"Oh. That's good. Is charlotte okay? Do you think she's coming down with something?" Lulu said in concern.

"No. I think she was just extra tired today; that's all. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I wanna kiss them before I go to bed. I'll be right back."

Lulu went into Rocco and Charlotte's room. She turned on the light and quietly kissed them. Neither one of them woke up. They were sound asleep. Lulu loved looking at them sleeping because she knew that as long as they were asleep, they were happy and content and like everything would be okay. It had been a while that she had seen them looking this peaceful and content after everything they had gone through with Lulu's shooting, and seeing them that way tonight made Lulu very happy.

The next day, Dante woke the kids up and made them breakfast before getting them off to school. He allowed Lulu the chance to sleep in, considering she had to drive near New York City for the story she was working on, and it had been a long drive. Before the kids left to go to school, Dante told them to say bye to Lulu and they did. Lulu had been dead to the world and hadn't even heard the kids going. She figured they were still in school by the time she had awoke at 12 noon, and right away, she knew that Peter wasn't going to be happy with her. She figured she would call him to check in. She made herself a cup of coffee and some toast and then made her phone call.

"Arora Media, how can I help you?" Sam said.

"Hi Sam, is Peter in today? It's Lulu. He had me go to New York City for a story he wanted me to interview and investigate, and I need to ask a favor from him."

"Um… no, he's not actually. He requested the day off for some reason. I don't know why. It was very vague. What's up?"

"well, I was wondering if I could work from home today. I would come in, but the drive took longer than I had planned and I'm exhausted. I slept until noon."

"Oh wow! That is late for you, especially since you have the kids. Well, yeah. You can have the day to work on the story. I think Peter has other things on his mind, and I'm gonna find out what that is."

"Oh okay, thanks Sam. Have a good day."

"You too. Bye."

Before Lulu had a chance to reply back, Sam hung up the phone. When Lulu was done with her toast, she got her laptop and notebook out of her bag and began the story.

As 2:30 approached, Dante left to go pick the kids up from school. He figured that depending on if Lulu was done working, he would drop Charlotte off at a friend's house, or just drive her home. He turned on the blue tooth capability on his phone and called her. Lulu seeing it was Dante immediately answered the phone.

"Hey babe, what's up."

"Hey baby, I just wanted to find out what you were doing? I have to do something with Rocco and depending on what you were doing, I was either gonna drive Charlotte home to spend time with you alone while I deal with Rocco, or take her to a friends house. How far along are you in the story?"

"Are you just going to get them now?" Lulu asked while looking at the clock and then, got the answer to her question.

"Yeah."

"Well, by the time you come back, I'll be done with the story. All I'll have to do is just submit it to my editor and we'll be good."

"Okay. Did you eat today? You were sleeping when I left to go to work for a little while." Dante asked.

"Yes, Dad. I ate some toast and had a cup of coffee, but I wouldn't mind getting some lunch, so when you pick the kids up, could you stop and get me a grilled cheese with bacon. I don't want the tomato though. It's too much acid and it makes me sick."

"I know. Ma's sauce is something you still can't eat." Dante said feeling bad for her.

"I know, and I still feel terrible about that. So, what do you say Dr. Falconeri, can you order that for me, or does it not meet your criteria for what I can and can't eat?"

Dante laughed before replying. "Yes. That's something you can eat. You've been a great patient and have done everything I've instructed."

"Okay. Thanks. Hey, are you sure Rocco's okay? He's not in trouble, is he?"

"Nope. He's fine. I just have to talk to him about base ball practice. I'm coaching his games again."

"Oh okay. Good luck. Tell him I love him."

"I will. Your lunch is gonna have to wait until I come home okay, so the kids dinner's schedule's gonna be a bit off when it's dinner."

"Oh whatever. It's fine. I haven't figured out what we'll eat anyway, so it's okay if it's late. I love you."

"love you too." Dante said as they both got ready to hang up their phones and for Dante, it was at the perfect time because he just pulled up to their school. He waited a few minutes and saw Rocco and Charlotte along with hundreds of other kids running out of school to either catch the buss that was pulling in behind Dante, or other parents coming to pick their kids up. Charlotte and Rocco ran over to Dante's car and jumped in the back seat.

"Hey guys, how was school?" Dante asked.

"It was good." They both said.

"Yeah? What did you guys do? Oh wait. Before you answer that and one at a time, Charlotte, I'm taking you home first because your mother's gonna be done with her story."

"Oh good! School was good. I was sitting with a friend of mine in Science, and she said that she wants to do her project on catipillers because of the metta something."

"Oh really?" That's cool! Rocco, what are some of your friends doing for theirs?" Dante wondered.

"my friend, Robert wants to get a robin's egg and watch it hatch."

"Cool."

"dante, when can we start working on making the rain forest?" Charlotte wondered impatiently.

"Well, first, we have to wait until the spring weather comes, especially, if we want to get some twigs and stuff to put in the rain forest. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll have it before the science fair." Dante said.

"good." Oh, and I had a dream last night that you adopted me, and it was just like how it is now, except I don't have to see Papa and Nina, so if things stay the same, even when the baby comes, you can be my second father."

"Thanks honey. That means a lot to me and I like that. Being a second father. That's cute. I'm glad you had time to think it over when you were sleeping last night. You were pretty upset last night. It was nice that Rocco apologized to you and gave you your space. We all love you Charlotte. When you come out, let me give you a hug."

"Okay."

When they pulled into their driveway, Dante got Charlotte out of her door and told Rocco to stay put. He came around and gave Charlotte a big hug. Lulu, watching this exchange began to get concerned and ran to the door.

"Oh my God! Honey, are you okay?"

"Whoa! Woah! Relax." Dante said with a little laugh. "Charlotte's fine. I just gave her a hug like we normally do, that's all baby."

"Okay sorry. I think it's the hormones. They make me do and say crazy things sometimes like over react. Sorry. Where's my other little guy?" Lulu asked.

"He's in the car. I haven't given my talking to yet."

"Okay. Oh and I was thinking that depending on how long this talk goes for, if you go to Kelly's, you might as well say that it's gonna be dinner time. I don't feel like cooking anything, so get the kids whatever they want. I'll text you Charlotte's order."

"Okay. Gotta go. Charlotte, be good for Mommy okay?"

"I will. Bye Dante."

Dante walked out the door and went with Rocco to meet Miss. Wadkins at Kelly's. He was a little late and that made Dante a little mad, but it was only because he had to drive Charlotte home. When he got into Kelly's, he was glad because there was hardly anyone there and they had a nice quiet booth to sit in so they could talk. When Miss. Wadkins saw them, she stood up and motioned for them to come over to her table.

"Hi. I got us a booth in the back so we could have a little more privacy."She said invitingly.

"Oh thank you."

"would you like some coffee? I can get it for you, and I can get you something too Rocco if you'd like."

"Sure. I'll have a cup of coffee. Want a drink buddy?" Dante asked.

"Yeah. Can I have a coke please?"

"Sure. I'll be right back."

As Miss. Wadkins asked for the coffee and soda, Dante figured he would take this time to talk to Rocco.

"Listen, my boy, can you do me a favor and be honest with Miss. Wadkins?"

"even if I say things that aren't nice about Valentin?"

"Yes. Miss. Wadkins needs to know how you feel about everything, and it's not good to lie okay? can you do that?"

"Yeah."

"That's my boy." Dante said giving him a light tap on his shoulder. Just then, Miss. Wadkins came back with a cup of coffee and a regular coke for rocco.

"Okay Rocco, now I've talked with your parents and Charlotte, so now I want to hear from you. What was it like for you when you found out that you had a sister out there, but she wasn't living with you."

"Well, at first, I was confused, but I saw her around school and she liked playing with me, and I was always being told by Mom and Dad that I had to be nice to the kids at school, especially new kids."

"so when you saw Charlotte, is that what you did?"

"Yeah and we were friends which was cool. Then, we got to hang out at the Christmas party for the hospital which was pretty cool too. We played with emma and Spencer."

"Then, when they told you that Charlotte was your sister, what was your initial reaction?"

"I didn't know how she could be my sister if we didn't have the same father because don't you need to have the same parents to be a brother or a sister? But Mommy told me that she's really my half sister or something like that. It confused me at first because I didn't know what a half sister meant until we talked about it, and then, it was okay."

"When Charlotte came to stay over that night, I could tell you enjoyed it the next day when I had to tell Velentin Cassadine about what happened."

"I did have a good time. We played memory and me and Charlotte kicked Mom and Dad's butts."

"Oh yeah, buddy you did, didn't you. Well, that's because we're old." Dante interjected.

"I know you are old."

"When you found out that Charlotte was gonna stay with you while Valentin was away, how did that make you feel?" Miss. Wadkins asked while writing everything down in her notebook.

"I was happy. I have fun when Charlotte's around. I mean, I love playing with Mom and Dad, but sometimes, it gets borring because they're not my age."

"Oh I know. It is borring to play with your parents all the time and that's why they have you go to school so that you can talk to other people your age. I'm glad you had Charlotte living with you too."

"I would get sad when she would go back to see valentin and Nina when he came back because I liked having her sharing everything with me."

"You're a very nice boy Rocco." Miss. Wadkins commented to the little boy.

"Thanks."

"okay, now comes the difficult part. What was it like for you the night of Halloween. How did you deal with that? Can you walk me through that?"

"can I have another coke?"

"Yup. I'll get it this time." Dante said.

"Rocco, you and Charlotte I'm noticing had similar reactions, so I know this is a difficult thing to talk about, but it's something I need you to do in order to help make it so that Charlotte can stay with you okay? Can you do that for me honey?"

"Yup. I just want my coke."

"Here you go buddy." Dante said as he put the drink in front of his son.

"Okay. Mommy and I went Trickor Treating. We got a lot of candy. I was a fire fighter and I wanted charlotte to see my costume. I didn't see anyone with her when she came over to us and then, Mommy said she liked her costume. Then, Charlotte and I saw someone in the bushes and we were scared because he had a masque on. Mommy pushed us down to the ground which she never did before. I thought it was weird, but we listened to her and then, I heard something that sounded like fireworks and saw Mommy fall down and she was bleeding really bad."

Suddenly, teers were streaming down Rocco's face as he recalled those chilling events. Dante went to the counter to grab a napkin.

"Shhh. It's okay buddy. You're doing awesome. Keep going." Dante said giving Rocco a hug.

"That must have been very scarey for you. You're doing great. So, did you have nightmares too? How were you effected by your mother's hospital stay and recovery time when she was home?"

"Yeah. I had bad dreams that when we went out and Mommy got shot, that was the last time I saw her because she died. I had one dream that Charlotte died too and Mommy wasn't the same after that." Rocco said anxiously.

"What happened during the nightmares? How did your parents react?"

"They were good. They would both hug us and tell us that they wouldn't let anything bad happen to us and Mommy said that nothing bad would happen to her either because we had Daddy to keep us safe." Rocco said smiling up at Dante.

"It sounds like you and Charlotte both feel safe when your parents are around."

"Yeah we are. They're pretty cool."

"Other than that, how are things going for you?"

"Good. I'm doing good in school and so is Charlotte. We have a science fair coming up later in the year and we're excited about it. We have a lot of friends that we like to play with too."

"Oh good, and I also heard that you're gonna have a brother or a sister? How do you feel about that."

"I think it's cool. I told Mom and Dad that if it's a boy, I want to name it Nathan Angelo, but I was joking. I don't like Angelo."

Miss. Wadkins laughed.

"That's funny. It sounds like despite what happened, you and Charlotte are well adjusted and it's really great that you have parents like Dante and Lulu who've prepared you for difficult situations. You did very good today buddy, and I'm gonna write up a report on you, if that's okay."

"sure." Rocco said.

"Dad, can we go home now? I'm hungry."

Dante looked at the clock on his phone and he couldn't believe that it was quarter of five.

"Yes. We can go home now, but first, I have to get us all dinner. What do you want to eat?"

"Wait. Before you guys do that, I just want to thank you Dante for allowing me to chat with Rocco. Rocco, I'm so sorry that you've gone through such a traumatic event at such a young age in your life with your mother getting shot. You're a very bright kid just like Charlotte is and I think Charlotte would be very lucky to live with you all the time. How would you feel about that?"

"I want that to happen. I don't want Charlotte anywhere near her Papa because he hurt our Mom bad and she could have died. I want her to stay with us."

"How do you feel about your father adopting Charlotte?"

"We talked about that last night, and I want that!"

"Thanks for being so honest with me, Rocco. I know I gave you some pretty tough questions, but like your sister, you handled it so well. Dante, you and Dianne will be hearing from me within the next few days okay? Friday at the latest, but it won't take that long."

"are you a workaholic? You worked on the case yesterday for Charlotte and now, boom! Here you are doing another report on Rocco and it's only Tuesday. You're a really good social worker."

"Thanks Dante. I just do my job and as you said, I'm good at it. I take working with children very cereously. I don't want to see children falling through the cracks, especially if I know who a child could benefit from living with as far as families are concerned."

"I know. I wish there could be more people like you, but hey! I guess, we're the lucky ones, right buddy? Let's get you guys some dinner. Thanks for meeting us Miss. Wadkins." Dante said while getting up to shake her hand. Rocco seeing dante doing it got up and shook her hand as well.

"It was my pleasure. I think you and Lulu are going to make wonderful parents to the new baby. Rocco and Charlotte are prime examples of your good parenting styles, so I know you guys will do fine. Oh and I am going to have to interview your family, and while I'm aware of your father's organization, I'm gonna have to interview him. I don't think that should prevent you from adopting Charlotte and making her your own daughter officially."

Dante smiled.

"Thanks for taking the time to do that. Lulu and I before having Rocco and having a surrogate tried to adopt and they basically said that because of our family backgrounds, we weren't even gonna be considered viable candidates for adoptions. Lulu panicked and thought she could fudge the adoption application to say that we had the perfect family, and even though I didn't like it, I could understand why she wanted to do it. I honestly can tell you that I appreciate you wanting to interview my father. His organization even though he's in the mob hasn't come near our family, and he'll even tell you that."

"Okay then. Can you email me with his contact information so that I can set up a time to meet with him?"

"Yes. I will do that tomorrow."

"Thanks Dante. Oh and also email me your mother's contact information as well so that I can interview her."

"Will do. Take care Miss. Wadkins."

"You guys too. Bye now." Miss. Wadkins said as she walked out of Kelly's. Dante texted Lulu to find out what she and Charlotte wanted for dinner and Lulu still wanted her grilled cheese. He was happy about that because he sometimes would get driven crazy when she said she wanted one thing and then, quickly changed her mind. When he got Charlotte's order, he went to the counter and ordered their dinners to go.

Dante and Rocco drove home both looking very happy and hungry. Dante was feeling a bit grumpy because of how hungry he was. When he got home, the plates were already set and Lulu quickly took the food and arranged them in their proper places.

"Dante, sit down. I'm gonna get you a beer. You look wiped. Happy, but wiped."

"Yeah. It was a long day; longer than I thought. I had to go over some stuff with Miss. Wadkins. Don't panic though because it's good."

"oh. Okay well, whatever you had to go over with her, I'm glad it all worked out."

"Me too."

Later on that night, Dante and Lulu after putting the kids to bed had a few rounds of celebratory sex in inticipation for what was to come. They were both waiting for their baby to come and hoping that everything with Charlotte would go smoothly so that they could all finally be a leagle and happy family.


	9. Chapter 9

Un Expected Miracles Chapter 9

The next few days were busy for Dante and Lulu. Work was hard and busy for both of them, and Lulu was getting ready for a Christmas party the kids would be attending their last day of school before the Christmas break. It was Friday, their last day of school, and Lulu was beginning to feel cranky. She had to still go shopping for Christmas, and she couldn't because of how busy she was. Dante had left early that morning, because he had to take care of some things, and Lulu was having a hard time getting the kids up and ready to go.

"Come on guys. Let's go"

Charlotte screamed while carrying down her backpack, "I'm right here!"

"Where's Rocco Lulu asked hurriedly.

"Right here. I was looking for my sneakers. I couldn't find them, and now I did."

"Okay well, put them on, or we're gonna be late for school" Lulu said sounding more irritated than she meant to.

"Honey, I'm sorry. It's just that I got up late too and now we're running around because we're already late" Lulu said apologetically to Rocco.

"What can we have for breakfastMommy?" Charlotte asked.

"You're gonna have to eat something quickly like a piece of fruit or something."

"Why can't we have scones!" Charlotte demanded. "I want scones!"

"Charlotte, we don't have time. I promise though before Christmas, we'll make scones okay?"

"Okay" Charlotte said annoyed.

"Rocco, get an apple for you and Charlotte, and then, I mean it. I have to go to work, and you have to go to school, so eat your breakfast."

Rocco did as he was told and they all sat down to eat. Lulu wanted to make a pot of coffee, and so she did that while they ate. Then, after they were done eating, she drove them to school.

Meanwhile, Dante was driving to Charlies to meet Miss. Wadkins there. She had wanted to give him her report on Rocco, and keep him in the lupe about the adoption proceedings. Dante got there first, and sent her a text to say that he would get a table. Dianne came in and came over to Dante.

"Ah Dante! Just the person I wanted to see. I got a call from Miss. Wadkins. I'd like to sit on your meeting, if that would be alright with you?"

"That's fine. I said I wanted to do things the right way, and she said she has an update on the adoption proceedings." Dante said hopefully.

"Well… I think I can help with that" Dianne said hesitantly.

"Oh no! What is it?" Dante groaned disappointingly.

"Well, Valentin and Nina aren't making it easy for Miss. Wadkins to get the ball rolling. As we predicted, Valentin isn't willing to give up his parental rights, and Nina is certainly not backing down from this either."

"well, we knew that it wouldn't be easy, but something better work. I want Charlotte and I love her as if she were my own daughter."

"Dante, I know you do, and that's why I'm gonna try to advocate for you in court. The trial won't be until after Christmas, so I'll have my work cut out for me."

"Are you fricking kidding me? Why the hell are they gonna have it after Christmas? We can't have somewhat of a breakuntil New Years?"

"I'll try to convince the judge, because you're right; this hasn't been easy for the family, and I know the judge doesn't want to work the week between Christmas and New Years. Valentin and Nina want to have itthe the day after Christmas, and I've been so busy, I haven't gotten to pleed my case to the judge yet. I'm going to though, and you know I get what I want. Don't worry" Dianne said giving him a gentle pat on the back.

Just then, Miss. Wadkins came in and immediately saw Dante and Dianne.

"Dante! Dianne! How are you this morning!" she asked excitedly.

"Great!" Dianne exclaimed hapilly.

Dante sat quietly, not looking up.

"Dante, you seem frustrated. Anything I can help you with?"

"uh… Actually, yeah. Dianne just told me that the damn trial's gonna take place after Christmas because Valentin wants it that way. Valentin and Nina want to speede it up because they want to make sure they win custody of Charlotte, and we only get temporary custody."

"Dante, I didn't say that."

"Dianne, you didn't have to. It's written all over your face. I'm not dumb." Dante said angrally.

"Dianne, I think right now, it might be best if I talk with Dante. Why don't you go try to convince the judge to extend the date of the trial at least until after the New Year."

"Alright. Dante, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you; I just wanted to let you know what you were up against."

"I know, and I get why you did it, it just gets me angry that Valentin has all this control. All the Cassadines have so much control over everything starting when they took Lulu from me."

"I'm sorry Dante" Dianne said sympathetically. I'll keep in touch."

"Thank you."

Miss. Wadkins began to exit the restaurant, but then remembered why she came in the first place.

"Dante, I'm sure Dianne will let you in on it, but I wanted to give you a copy of my report on Rocco that we did the other day. I also have copies of my reports on Sonny and Olivia and Laura Colins, and they all speak very highly of the both of you. I thought that would cheer you up a bit. I also wanted to let you know that I'm working to advocate for you to adopt Charlotte, and I have a good case. Dianne will view the reports in the testimony, right Dianne?"

"Absolutely, and I'll take it one step further if I have to by making everyone on Dante and Lulu's support team to testify."

Dante was shocked. He didn't know what to say. He knew Dianne was a shark in the court room, and he knew that she was a good lawyer, but he didn't know she would go this far for Dante.

"Dianne, Thank you. I don't know what to say. I really appreciate this." Dante said.

"No need to thank me. I like you and Lulu, and I want you, Rocco, Charlotte and this new baby to all be a family. See you soon Detective."

"Bye" Dante said waving to her.

"Dante, I'm sorry this happened to you and Lulu, but I want to assure you that we're doing everything we can to make sure you get to adopt Charlotte and Lulu gets full custody of her daughter" Miss. Wadkins said.

"I told Dianne that I would testify to your strength, character, and how adjusted the kids are because of you and Lulu."

"I needed to hear that. Thank you" Dante said feeling a lot better.

"Oh shit! I'm needed at the station. Can I pay for your breakfast, or at least your coffee as a thank you for everything you're doing?" Dante asked with a smile.

"I'll make you a deal. You can pay for my breakfast or whatever when you guys win the case."

"Okay. It's a deal." Dante said as he got up from his chair.

"I'll be in touch probably once we know when the trial will be."

"Okay. Sounds good. Thanks again." Dante said as he walked out.

Lulu was trying to work on a story doing some research and typing on her laptop when she saw Maxie coming toward her.

"Lulu! Hi!" maxie shreaked excitedly.

"Hi Maxie. How are you?"

"Oh I'm great, but Nina's in a mood, and it doesn't seem like you're in much of a good one either. I mean, what's the matter with this town! I mean, I know that Christmas isn't your favorite holiday with your Dad going on all these adventures when you were little and your Mom went all crazy, but you have kids now and—"

"Maxie! Lulu snapped interrupting her.

"You're right; I'm not in that good of a mood, but it's not about you. Peter's been nagging me about a story that I haven't been able to get published. I've had to go Christmas shopping, and bake cookies for Charlotte and Rocco's Christmas party, and thank God I had Mom to help me."

"What is it?"

Just then, Nina came into Lulu's office.

"a-oh, I think I better go. I'll come back when she's gone. I don't think I want to be here when Nina yells at you, and I'm sure she's gonna tell you what I wanted to anyway, but I'll save her the trouble. Lulu, Nina and Valentin want to have the trial be right after Christmas. I mean, can you believe it? I mean, it's like Valentin and Nina don't want you to enjoy Christmas and New Years! You and Dante with what you've gone through this year deserve it!"

"Um.. Maxie, I think you've done enough damage for one day; I need to talk to Lulu… alone, so get to work!" Nina demanded.

"okay, but Lulu, try not to get too stressed out okay? I need you and the baby to be okay."

"Thanks Maxie. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Okay. I'm going. Bye!"

"Nina, is this true? Do you really think that you're gonna make the trial for the day after Christmas?"

"I never said that. I wanted to ask if Charlotte could spend Christmas day with us? I mean, you'll have her Christmas Eve, and Valentin hasn't really gotten the time to see her, and I've been busy working."

"well, Nina, I'm gonna need to talk to valentin about all of this, because you really have no say. You're getting divorced from him, and hopefully, if things go my way, you'll be divorced, and you won't have anything to do with Charlotte ever again. I mean, Valentin shot me, and I'm sure you wanted me to die."

"Really Lulu? You're gonna prevent me from seeing my daughter? I don't think so!" Nina yelled.

"Nina. She's not your daughter, and I would appreciate it if you left me alone. I can't even think about the trial right now with everything I have to do."

"Well, we just want to make sure that things go smoothly, and that's why we set it up that way." Just then, Valentin walked out of the elevator and up to Lulu's office.

"Good morning Lulu" Valentin said.

Lulu began to get very anxious. She began to have another flashback of the shooting. As the flashback was happening, Lulu had grown very white, and began to scream. Maxie could hear her screaming through her office, and of course, she had to see what was wrong.

"Oh my God! What the hell is going on? Lulu? Are you okay?" Maxie said running tward her.

As she went to her, Lulu was crouched down on the floor sobbing.

"Valentin and Nina, get the hell away from her! You can leave, and don't come here again. I'll take care of all the things you asked me, but after today, I'm done at least until the new Year celebration ends!" Maxie screamed.

"We didn't mean to upset her Max—"

"Beat it bitch! I need to make sure my best friend's okay. You go to hell, and you go to hell for shooting her!"

"But I wanted to tell her about the trial and what was gonna be going on" Nina said sweetly to Maxie and Valentin.

"Nina, I think it's best that we go. Come on. I'll get you whatever you wish at the restaurant, and then, we can go and pick up Charlotte."

"Like hell you will! I'm gonna call Dante, and he won't hear a word of you going to pick her up. Leave so I can take care of Lulu."

They left, and Maxie went to her.

"Lulu? You okay? It's Maxie. It's okay. I've got you" Maxie said sweetly helping her up.

"I… I… don't know. I was sitting… here… and… Ow!"

"Oh no! What's the matter. Are you okay?"

"I… Need… Some… Water" Lulu said in between gasps.

"Okay, but are you gonna be okay if I leave you for a minute? I think I should have Carly sit with you."

"No. I'm okay; I just need to… ow!"

As she felt a stabbing pain, she collapsed to the floor.

"Oh no! Lulu!" Maxie screamed.

"Somebody, help me! Hello?" Maxie yelled.

Just then, Carly came in hearing the commotion.

"What the hell is… Oh my God! Lulu, sweetie, are you okay?"

Lulu didn't answer. She was very pale and she was uncontious.

"oh shit! Carly, call 911, and I'm gonna call Dante" Maxie said.

Carly did as she asked, and then, Maxie called Dante.

Dante was at the police station working on a police report when he got a call from Maxie. Since the office was quiet that day, he answered his cell phone.

"Yeah" he said a little annoyed.

"Oh Dante! Thank God I got you! Valentin and Nina came here, and they told Lulu about the trial, and got Lulu upset. She passed out. Carly's calling 911 now."

"Shit!" Dante cursed under his breath.

I'll be there as soon as I can."

"okay. Thanks for picking up. I didn't want to have to leave that on a voicemale. We'll meet you at the hospital."

"Okay. Bye Maxie. Thanks" dante said before they hung up.

Just then, the ambulance came with a stretcher and loaded her onto it. They gave her an IV and she started to wake up.

"Maxie? What happened" Lulu said weakly. .

"You passed out. That bitch Nina upset you."

"Oh yeah. I remember that."

"Where's Dante, and why am I on a stretcher?"

"We need to take you to the hospital to make sure you're okay."

"I'm fine; I'm just pregnant. I'm not an invalid."

Just then, an out of breath Dante ran into the office where Lulu was.

"Baby? You okay?" Dante said planting kisses all over her.

"I'm fine. They want me to go to the hospital, but I just got worked up; that's all."

"Nope, you're going to the hospital. Maxie, can you pick up Rocco and charlotte and bring them to either my Mother's or Laura's house until I can get there?"

"Of course! Lulu, listen to Dante. He was a mess when you got shot, and he doesn't deserve you to scare him again."

Okay" Lulu said Stubbornly.

"Thank you" Dante said greatfully.

"Okay… here we go. One… two… three."

Later when they arrived at the hospital, Elizabeth saw the ambulance come in the doors to the hospital.

"Lulu? Oh my God! What happened!" She said in concern.

"Elizabeth, draw some blood, and take her vitals and page Dr. Nero stat" a doctor said.

"Okay. Don't worry; I'm gonna take good care of you."

"Elizabeth… I don't… feel…" Then, things went black again.

"Lulu? Can you hear me? Lulu?"

"What did those bastards do to her! Elizabeth, I sware to God! You better find out what's wrong with her, and if they did something to her again, so help me God! I'll—"

"Dante, if you're gonna be this upset, I'm gonna ask you to leave. Lulu doesn't need to be this agitated right now and I know you're upset, but yelling like this isn't gonna help anyone, especially Lulu. Let me draw blood and check her vitals and then page Dr. Nero."

Dante stood back, never leaving Lulu's side. She looked so pale and small in the bed, and he wanted to take whatever happened to her this morning away from her. Was she in pain? Did anything hurt her? He didn't know. She had been fainting when she was in the ambulance, and she fainted in the hospital too. This really worried Dante.

Elizabeth rushed to the lab with Lulu's bloodwork and took her vitals as Dr. Nero walked in.

"What's the status Elizabeth?"

"Her respiration is normal, but her blood pressure is very high" Elizabeth said in concern.

"Okay. I can take it from here, but stay here in case. I'm gonna need you to give her some medication for the blood pressure."

Kim gave Elizabeth the specific medication to lower Lulu's blood pressure, as well as IV fluids. A few minutes later, Lulu woke up to find Dante and Dr. Nero there.

"Dante? What happened?"

"You passed out, but you're awake now" he said kissing her again.

"Lulu, can you tell me what happened before you passed out? Dr. Nero asked.

"I was at the office working, and Nina came to talk to me about the trial for Charlotte. Then, I saw Valentin, and that's when things started going black."

"I'm sure they did. You survived a very traumatic experience by getting shot by him, and seeing him probably brought it all back. I want you to stay here under observation for a few hours to make sure the medicine kicks in before I send you home. Your blood pressure is dangerously high, and if it doesn't come down, we would need to take the baby out by c-section."

"But it's too early" Dante said worriedly.

"I know, and that's what we're gonna try to avoid. So, lulu, just relax, and try not to get stressed out. I have to go see other patients, but I'll have a nurse check you every hour. I want to make sure your blood pressure goes down quickly."

"Oh great. More hovering" Lulu groaned.

"Well, it's for your own good baby" Dante said as he planted kisses all over her again.

"Are you okay? Can I get you anything?"

"No. I'm actually tired. I think I'm gonna take a nap for a little bit okay?"

"I like that idea. I'm gonna step out for a minute while you close your eyes okay? I have to tell Jordan that I'm not gonna be in for the rest of the day."

"Okay. Goodnight. Thanks for being here. I love you."

"I love you too" Dante said wiping a bit of sweat off her forehead and kissing it before walking out the door.

As Lulu slept, Dante made the appropriate phone calls to Jordan, Laura and Olivia to figure out who rocco and Charlotte would spend the night with. Laura agreed to let them stay with her for the night, which pleased Dante. Then, he called Dianne to figure out what happened with the judge.

"Dante! How lovely to hear from you! I have some great news. The judg doesn't want to work the week inbetween Christmas and New Years Eve, so she agreed to begin on Wednesday."

"Great! We could use some good news right about now. I'm in the hospital with Lulu. She had a bit of a health scare. She's gonna be fine though."

"That's great to hear. I'll be in touch after the holidays, so Happy Holidays to you and the family!"

"You too Dianne. Can you make sure that Valentin and Nina's lawyer knows—"

"Already taken care of" she said with a smerk.

"Okay. Thanks."

Then, he went back in the room and watched Lulu sleeping. As she slept, she looked so relaxed and peaceful, as if the day she had didn't happen. A few minutes later, Elizabeth polked her head in and took Lulu's vitals again. Kym allowed her to work with Lulu because she knew that she and Lulu were close, and she'd probably want to be with someone she knew. Elizabeth wouldn't have minded it if she couldn't work with Lulu, but she was glad to help her.

"Hi Dante" Elizabeth whispered.

"Hi Elizabeth, how's my baby doing?"

"Well, I'm gonna let Kym confirm it, but her vitals are going down nicely. I think once she wakes up, she'll get to go home. She's not gonna like it, but she's gonna need to be on bedrest for at least a week. I know the trial's coming up soon, but she'll have to rest until then."

"Oh don't worry; she will Dante reassured.

"Okay. Let me get Kym."

A few minutes later, Dr. Nero came in the room. Lulu and Dante knew they could call her Kym, but they wanted to call her Dr. Nero out of respect, and it just stuck.

"I'm gonna wake her up now to see how she's feeling and then go over her vitals. Lulu? Can you wake up for me?"

"Oh! Dr. Nero! How long have I been sleeping? She asked stretching.

"You've slept for about an hour" Dante replied.

"Oh wow. I feel so much better."

"I still got the magic touch! Yes!" Dante joked.

"I actually think you could be cerious" Dr. Nero said happily.

"Okay, hold out your rist for me and I'm gonna take a look. Your bloodwork is fine."

She lifted her rist up and held it up for Dr. Nero. She placed the blood pressure cuff over her arm and gave it a squeez until it got tight, and then, she listened and let it release.

"very good Lulu. I am recommending you stay in bed for the next week or so."

"But Christmas is on Tuesday, and I still haven't finished my shopping."

"No baby, I'll do the shopping. I'll have help, but you're listening to doctors orders. We can't have something happen to this baby. You almost died Haloween night, and I'm not taking that chance again."

"well, when you put it that way, I guess you're right. I'll make out a list for Mom and she can finish the shopping for me if I can't go."

"Okay. Sounds good" Dr. Nero said.

"Now, do you want to know the sex of the baby?"

"no. We want it to be a surprise" they both said.

"Okay, and I'm thinking the baby will be due in March by the measurement of the baby."

"Can I go home now?" Lulu asked giving Dante a pleating look.

"Yes. As long as you promise me that you'll stay in bed and you'll get up only when you really need to. Dante, I'm gonna make sure you make her stay in bed."

"If that's the only thing I do before Christmas, I'm gonna do it, and I'll make sure she listens. Come on baby. Let me help you up."

"Not so fast Dante. I have to take everything off of her."

Once everything was taken off her, Lulu and Dante walked to the elevator after saying bye to Elizabeth.

Later that night, when they were settled in and after Dante made more phone calls to the family updating them about Lulu, they ate an easy dinner of soup and a salad. Lulu didn't particularly like the salad, but she enjoyed the soup quite a bit. They were about to make love when Dante looked over and saw that Lulu had fallen asleep.

Author's note:

Hi guys! I'm back!:) I'm sorry I haven't written in quite a long time, and if you guys lost interest, I appologize for that. Last semester got very busy, and now, I only have one class online that is really easy, so I have more time to devote to this story. I am going to finish it, because I just have to. Not just for you guys, but for me as well😊. I love Lante, and miss them so much, and this is how I would have wanted the story and his return to be. Thanks for putting up with my long absence, and the next chapter will come soon. It will probably be fluffy because I'll put Christmas and New Years in the chapter, so it may be fluffy for a bit. Stay tuned though because I promise you, the trial will have some nice drama!


	10. Chapter 10

Un Expected Miracles Chapter 10

The past few days were driving Lulu crazy because she was unable to do anything to help with the Christmas preparations. Each time she'd try to get up to help Dante, Olivia, Laura and Maxie, they each would just tell her they had everything covered. The only thing that she was allowed to do was write Laura and Maxie out shopping lists for the last minute gifts for the kids and Dante. The day before Christmas Eve, Laura, Dante and Maxie all went out shopping and they all agreed to go their separate ways and they would meet out for lunch later. Dante thought he would let Lulu come out to lunch with all of them so that she wouldn't go too stir crazy, and she agreed. They all met at the Metro Court for a bite to eat. Just then, Carly came up to them to say hello.

"Lulu! I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to come over to see you; Josslyn's been driving me crazy, and I've been busy with Sonny and Jason. How are you feeling?" Carly asked in concern for her cousin.

"I'm fine, but going crazy. Mom, Maxie, Dante and Olivia give hovering a whole new meaning. Now, I can definitely appreciate the hell you went through when you had your difficult pregnancy with Joss."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve? I was thinking that if you guys didn't, you could come to my house to see Sonny, the kids and Mike."

"Thanks Carly. Maybe, we'll get there, but I don't know. It's gonna depend on how Lulu's feeling. She's been good, so I agreed that she could have a couple hours out" Dante said jokingly.

"Well, just let us know because you're always welcome."

"Thanks Carly" both Dante and Lulu said in unison.

"Enjoy your lunch." Carly said before giving Lulu a kiss on the cheek and walking away from them.

"Oh my God! I'm starving! What do I want to eat?" Lulu wondered as she went to look at the menu.

"Oooooo! I found something I want! I think I want the mushroom ravioli. That looks really good" lulu squeeled with delight.

"I remember ordering that for you when you were a little girl at the Port Charles Grill" Laura said smiling at the memory.

"One of your many attempts to comfort me so that I wouldn't notice Dad's absence" Lulu remembered.

"Anyway, let's figure out what else we are gonna eat" Dante said.

"Oooo! I'll have the cob salad" Maxie said.

"Oo! That looks good! I think I'm going to have the salmon entree." Laura said.

Just then, the waitress came to take their orders. The waitress saw Lulu's expanding belly.

"When are you due?" she wondered.

"I'm due in March."

"Oh congratulations!"

"Thanks" Lulu said.

"I was told by Carly to give you all a discount, so when you see the bill, it's gonna be cheap, so what'll it be" she asked. They gave their orders and she wrote them all down on her note pad and left. A few minutes later, their food all came.

"So, honey, Maxie and I got everything you asked for on your list."

"Thanks guys. Maxie, it's not like you to be this quiet. What's up" lulu wondered.

"oh… I don't know. You don't wanna hear my problems right now. Let's just focus on you today and the baby" maxie said, getting up to rub lulu's belly.

"ooo! The baby kicked. It likes Aunt Maxie!"

"Ooooo! Yay! I can teach it all sorts of cool things, especially if it's a girl!"

"Well, it's gonna be a surprise."

As Lulu and Maxie were talking, Laura took it upon herself to talk to Dante. She scooted her chair closer to his so they could talk while Maxie helped scoot Lulu's chair close to hers.

"Dante, have you spoken to the kids about what was going on with the trial? Lulu told me all about it,but she also told me that Dianne was able to convince the judge to postpone it until after the New Year. I think given the circumstances, that was probably the best thing."

"I know" Dante agreed.

"I didn't think Dianne was gonna give us that so quickly, but when Lulu was sleeping in the hospital, I called her and she filled me in. The kids don't know what's going on yet. They will though, once we get a date confirmed" Dante said biting his meal.

"How's the salmon?"

"Oh it's wonderful!" Laura said biting into a piece.

"That's good. How's Kevin doing?"

"oh he's fine! He said he had a special appointment today."

"Oh. On a Saturday?" Dante wondered suspiciously.

"Yeah. Sometimes, Kevin has special appointments."

"I see."

They all sat in silence for a few minutes before Lulu spoke up.

"I can't believe I ate that whole thing! That ravioli was huge! It's not gonna stop me from getting dessert though."

"Lulu! Really? You're gonna eat dessert after that? My God! I guess this baby really is hungry!" maxie said laughing.

"Seriously Maxie? Didn't you eat a lot when you were pregnant with Georgie and James?" Lulu said play punching her.

"Oh yeah! Of course! But I always tried to eat healthy, accept for on occasion."

"Yeah… okay." Lulu said jokingly, and they birsted out laughing.

Just then, the waitress came over to their table and cleared all their plates. When she came back and asked them if they all wanted desserts, everyone refused, except for Lulu. The waitress got Lulu's order and went to get it for her. Later on after the dessert was finished, Dante got the check and paid for everyone.

"Baby, I'm sorry; we need to make another pit stop before we go home, but I tell you what. Why don't we have Laura take you home and I'll go with Maxie to take care of it."

"What is it? Oh wait! We don't have a tree! Shit!" Lulu said panicking.

"Honey, it's okay. Let's go home and I'll make you some hot chocolate before you relax."

"Okay."

"Dante, are you sereous? I have to carry a tree for you? Well, okay fine, but if we have to chop it down, you're doing the honors." Maxie said.

"Maxie, take it easy! We're not gonna need to chop it down. I'll take care of the majority of it; you just might need to help me carry it into the house. Laura, when we come home, would you mind helping us decorate it with us?"

"Oh! I'd love that! Of course I will, and we can get the kids involved. I've missed doing this with my children all those years I was gone."

"Mom, it's okay; you're here now, and that's all that matters." Lulu said hugging Laura who had teers in her eyes.

"Oh thank you hon. Let's go home." -

Later on that evening, Maxie helped Dante carry the tree into the house, and much to lulu's surprise, it was a real tree. She was expecting an artificial tree, but Dante wanted to go all out this Christmas. He thought that since they all could have lost her, he could go the extra mile to get a real tree. Maxie was exhausted from carrying the tree, so she immediately went home. As soon as Rocco and Charlotte saw the tree, they immediately wanted to come in and decorate it. Dante said he'd need to put it up first, and he tought Rocco to help. Just then, Laura came over.

"Oh wow! The tree looks wonderful, but why don't we put it near the fire place." Laura said marveling over the tree.

"That's a great idea! Is Lulu still sleeping?" she wondered.

"Yeah. She was pretty tired. She's been getting tired lately."

"oh well, in that case, let's get to work! Charlotte and Rocco, want to make cookies and sing Christmas songs with your Grandma?" Laura said excitedly.

"Yeah!" they both screamed in unison.

Dante took the tree, which wasn't too big over to the fireplace and put it in the stand. When it was finished being put up, he asked Laura to go and get the lights and ornaments with him while the cookies baked.

Just then, Lulu came down from her room and was looking at everything. She was amazed that Dante took this much effort to give her the best Christmas they would probably have in their history of being together,. She sat on the couch admiring how beautiful the tree looked even though it hadn't been decorated yet, and tears came to her eyes. Just then, Dante came down with Laura and they saw Lulu crying.

"Honey, what's the matter?" Laura said sweetly.

"It's beautiful! I can't believe you did all this! Thank you. I love you both so much." Lulu said getting up to hug Dante and Laura.

"It's not decorated yet!" Rocco said.

"Oh come here you guys! You're helping too? Wow! This is amazing! I love it! What can I do? I promise, it will be very light."

"Nothing, baby. Just relax."

"I can't at the very least get you a glass of wine or anything?" she said looking to Dante and Laura.

"Not yet sweety."

"Okay."

Later that night after the tree was decorated, Laura made Dante, Lulu and the kids a nice dinner, and Dante put a few logs on the fire.

"Thanks guys for a wonderful night. I love this! I love the decorations and everything you all are doing. You know I would help if I could, but someone's being paranoied that I'll get too stressed out." Lulu said looking to Dante jokingly

"Well, you gave us quite a scare baby."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"I don't know what to do because Valentin and Nina want to see Charlotte Christmas Day because we're having the kids Christmas eve. Valentin hasn't seen her since he got out of Jail, and that's been because I won't let him."

"Baby, you have good reason. I wouldn't let him see her either, but I don't have a say. You need to work it out with Valentin, and I don't think that's a good idea right now. Why don't we keep things the way they are, and we can wait until the judge decides what's best."

He didn't want to tell her about adopting Charlotte yet. He figured he'd wait for either Christmas or New Years.

"For the past few days, I would have fought you tooth and nail to do things because the bedrest thing was getting to me, but today, seeing you, Mom and the kids doing everything was really fun! I loved seeing the kids singing Christmas Carrolls, which on a normal day would have annoyed the crap out of me. I don't know; maybe, the hormones are really getting to me because I'm becoming a sap." Lulu said jokingly.

"Well, I like you sappy."

"I love you Dante. Let's go to bed."

He carried her up to bed, and they made love. It was the best sex they had in quite a while, and the sex left Dante and Lulu feeling very good before they fell asleep.

Come Christmas Eve, Olivia came early. She had a lot of cooking to do and she started doing some of the cooking at the Quartermaines, and then finished it all at Dante and Lulu's. She made a Lasagna, Garlic bread, and brought a prime rib that they could save for a special occasion or Christmas dinner tomorrow. She also bought canolis for dessert. Laura would be arriving later with some goodies as well. Dante wanted everyone to come that meant something to them and if they couldn't fit everyone, they could come in sperts. They didn't care; just as long as everyone had a good time. At around six PM, Dante got Lulu so that she could start mingling with people who were slowly arriving.

"Olivia! When did you get here!" lulu wondered happily.

"Oh honey, I've been here since 12 noon. Honey, can you get me another glass of wine?" Olivia said, now feeling a little tipsy.

"Ma, are you sure you wanna drink that much? You've been drinking as you were cooking. I know we're Italian and we like our wine, but don't you think you're pushing it just a little bit?" He said patting her shoulder.

"Honey, I love you, but I want some wine."

"Okay."

As dante went to get Olivia some wine, Lulu was eating some cheese and crackers. Everything was tasting so good, and she couldn't wait for the main course. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Laura came with Kevin and Spencer. She brought a home made apple pie and her mother's famous Egg Nog. She made two batches; one that had a bit more alcohol and one for lulu and the kids to share. Rocco and Charlotte wanted to go play with Leo and Spencer, so they all went in their room before dinner while the adults kept engaging in meaningless conversations, according to the kids. Just then, the doorbell rang again and Dante went to get it. It was Elizabeth.

"Hi Elizabeth. Thanks for coming."

"We brought a pie, some wine and some brownies made by the one and only Elizabeth!" Franco said.

"Hi Lulu. How are you feeling?" Elizabeth said, both asking as a concerned family member and going into nurse mode.

"Can you check her blood pressure? It has been a bit crazy today, and even though she's been resting, I'm sure the day's getting to her." Dante asked noticing Lulu was looking a bit pale.

"Sure. I can do that."

"Elizabeth, you don't have to. My husband loves to hover over me, and even if you think it's cute, I don't, so please enjoy your day here and don't come as my nurse." Lulu wined.

"He's acting like this because he loves you. I get it that it's annoying; I'd be acting like this too, but he wouldn't ask me if he didn't love you, so give me your arm." Elizabeth said effectionately and jokingly.

She took her blood pressure and she looked pleased to see that it was normal.

"Good! Your blood pressure is normal. Dante's doing a good job keeping you in bed."

"I know, and I hate it."

Elizabeth went to go help Laura and Olivia in the kitchen while Cam, Jake and Aiden went to play with the kids. Since Cam was getting older, he didn't particularly care for being the babysitter of Rocco, Charlotte, Aiden and Leo, but he was glad he had Spencer and Jake to help. A short while later, Olivia in a bit of a drunkin stooper yelled that dinner was being served.

Dante rounded up all the kids and they all sat down to eat. Olivia blessed the meal and they all were sitting around laughing and eating. Later on, once the plates were cleared, everyone wanted dessert. Laura put on a pot of decaf coffee for everyone so that Lulu could enjoy a cup. Dante hadn't given her a cup of coffee all day, so he figured she deserved it. Plus, it was a holiday.

"After dessert, can we at least open up presents?" Charlotte said.

"You're gonna have to wait Charlotte." Lulu said.

"I think we can agree to let the kids open one present, I mean, isn't that like a tradition or something?" Franco said.

"In some families it is, and since this is a special circumstance, I think the kids can open as many presents as they want, especially from family they don't always see." Dante agreed.

"Yay!" The kids all cheered. Just then, the kids ate their canolis along with everyone else. During the dessert, Sonny, Carly and Avery came over to stop in.

"we won't stay long; we just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and let you know that we're having Christmas dinner at our house tomorrow."

"Who's watching Mike right now?" Dante asked concerned.

"Michael offered to while we stopped by. We have presents foryou, Lulu and the kids."

"Thanks Sonny, but you didn't have to buy us presents, at least for Lulu and me."

"Of course we did! We're family."

As Dante and sonny were talking, Carly went in the room with the kids and was giving them candy and playing with them.

"Well, thanks, and the kids will enjoy the presents. I'll put them under the tree with all of them. We'll be there tomorrow depending on how Lulu's feeling."

"Okay. Sounds good. Hey Olivia and Laura, you're more than welcome to join in the fun tomorrow."

"Thanks Sonny. I made aprime rib and I will definitely love to come to give that little Avery a kiss."

"oh okay. Laura? What about you?"

"Thanks, but I don't know. If Spencer wants to come, I'll come, but we'll see."

"Where is he?"

"He's in the room with all the kids."

"Oh okay well, I just wanted to extend the invitation to Christmas dinner tomorrow. Merry Christmas guys. Avery, can you say Merry Christmas sweetheart?" Sonny said bending down to her.

"Merry Christmas."

Once Avery said Merry Christmas,carly came inand they all said their goodbyes.

Then, it was time to open presents. Rocco opened up a video game that Sonny had given him, and Charlotte opened up a nice jewelery box which contained a necklace from Laura. Elizabeth told the boys they would open presents on Christmas morning. At this time, they all noticed that lulu was getting tired. She occasionally would stifle a few yawns, and once Dante noticed, he decided to break the party up.

"Okay guys, I think the party is about to end. Lulu and I thank you all for coming, and maybe we'll see some of you tomorrow, and if we do, let the celebration continue, and if not, Merry Christmas."

They all said Merry Christmas and everyone grabbed their coats after hugging and kissing everyone.

Later that night after the company left, Dante was putting presents together while Lulu was dozing on the couch. The kids were fast asleep and Dante was going to sit and enjoy another beer as he was getting presents prepared for the morning. By one in the morning, each present was put together and under the tree.

"Santa, I'm sorry I couldn't help you tonight, but since you were a good boy, I can give you my own present." Lulu said in a sexy tone.

"Oooo! You have a present for me? Santa's very happy."

"Can I do anything else for you before I finish this beer?"

"Unless it involves you carrying me up to bed, you don't need to do anything else for me. You've done so much for me already."

"Well, there is one more thing that I have to do for you. Of course, I have presents, but I want to give you the best present now. Wanna know what it is?"

"Yeah! What is it." Lulu wondered in surprise.

Just then, Dante took her hand as he sat on the couch next to her.

"Well, ever since Charlotte came to live with us full-time, I've really grown attached to her, and I think she's gotten attached to me. We love playing games and reading stories the way I do with Rocco. When Miss. Wadkins came to talk about custody arrangements for Charlotte, I had the thought of adopting her. We're in the middle of going through the adoption process right now. I love Charlotte as if she were my own biological daughter and I thought the best way we could all be together is if I adopted her."

Lulu was stunned. She couldn't believe what she heard. Sure, she knew dante was growing very attached to Charlotte, but she had no idea it would ever come to that, especially since she had a child with a Cassadine she didn't know about.

"Baby, please say something. Are you mad that I didn't tell you about this?"

Suddenly, dawn began to spread all over her face.

"When you told me you were going to talk to Rocco about practice, was that when you were meeting Miss. Wadkins?"

"Yes. Now, of course, Valentin's not gonna make it easy, but I don't want Charlotte anywhere near Valentin and Nina. So, I thought that once I adopted her, it would be easy for Valentin to give all parental rights to me. My hope is that when we go through the trial, the adoption will be able to go through because everything is working in my favor."

Just then, Lulu stood up and wrapped her arms lovingly around her husband.

"Dante, I love you! I'm so excited! I was secretly hoping that's what you'd do to make it easier for us to keep her, and you read my mind! I thought it would have just been my fight, but I'm so glad to know that you're fighting to adopt my daughter. Have you talked to her about it?"

"Yeah, and she said that she needed time to think about it. She had a bad dream about living with Nina and Valentin, and since the dream scared her so badly, and she's been very comfortable with us, she told me she would be fine with living with me and I could adopt her."

"This is the best present anyone could give me. You're adopting my daughter! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" Lulu said crying and planting kisses all over him.

"Now, Santa, let's go to bed, and you can be rewarded for your good behavior."

They again made passionate love and immediately fell asleep.

The next week was pretty borring for Lulu because she was still on bedrest. During New Years Eve, Carly and Olivia were planning a New Years Eve party for everyone to attend. Lulu had been in communication with Peter about what was going on medically with her, but he wasn't having it tonight. He wanted her to cover the New Years Eve party to see what explosive event she could capture. She wasn't too keene on the idea, but she relented. Olivia agreed to watch Rocco and Charlotte while she and Dante went out.

The party was pretty uneventful. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, up until the clock struck 12. When it approached the ten seconds, Carly banged her glass of champagne and screamed.

"Okay everyone! The moment we've all been waiting for is coming in 10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1! Happy New Year!" She screamed along with everyone while bottles were being cracked open. Dante opened Lulu's bottle of sparkling citer and poured a glass for her.

"Happy New Year baby."

"Happy New Year to you too."

"Cheers to new beginnings with Charlotte, Rocco, and baby Falconeri." Dante said as he clinked his glass with Lulu's before kissing her. Just then, Nina stumbled over to them.

"You little bitch!" Nina cried. "I just got a letter in the mail saying that Dante wants to adopt Charlotte? There's no way in hell that I'm gonna allow that. Valentin won't either. Charlotte is our daughter and we're the ones who deserve her. It's not our fault you weren't there for her when she was born the way Valentin is!"

"Okay Nina, I don't think this is the time and place to go attacking us. I don't want to have to arrest you for public drunkenness."

"Public drunkeniss? Really Dante?" Nina spat and slered.

"Okay Nina, I think we need to go now. Let me take you home, and we can just let the lawyers handle this." Valentin said motioning her back to their table.

"I think that's a good idea." Lulu agreed.

"Dante, Lulu, see you in court!" Nina hissed drunkenly.

Lulu wasn't going to write about this in the paper, and given the circumstances, Peter agreed.

"Well! Happy New Year everyone, and I hope 2019's a hell of a lot better for everyone. Thank you all for coming." Carly said before everyone left to go home.

When Dante and Lulu arrived home, Lulu was exhausted. She had fallen asleep in the car so Dante gently carried her up to bed, and she didn't wake up. As he put the covers up over her, he gently kissed her goodnight.

"I love you Lulu, and I'm so glad that we have this chance with you. We could have lost you, and so my New Years resolution is to never take our love or are kids for granted. I love you with all my heart, and I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you. If I have to go on any special assignments, I don't care about a promotion; I'm going to refuse so I can spend my time with you and our family. Goodnight beautiful." Dante said kissing her before he tucked himself to bed where he finally fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Un Expected Miracles Chapter 11

New Year's Day was spent at Dante and Lulu's where it was just Dante, Lulu and the kids. School would be starting the next day, and Lulu wanted to make sure the homework they had to get done during the Christmas break was finally finished. Homework came easy to Charlotte and Rocco on most occasions, but Lulu always enjoyed helping them with their homework. Dante had to work for a little while but made sure he would be home by dinner. Lulu said that she would talk to the kids about the trial, as it was coming up soon.

"Rocco, Charlotte, can you come out of your room? I need to talk to you." Lulu said.

"Okay!" They both yelled as they put their homework in their backpacks for the morning.

"What's going on Mommy?" Charlotte wondered.

"I wanted to talk to you guys because in a few days, there's gonna be a trial to figure out who Charlotte will be living with."

"Is valentin gonna be mean and take her away from us?" Rocco asked.

"I know you don't like Papa, but don't be mean to him! I don't like what he did either, but he is my papa and I love him!" Charlotte screamed giving Rocco a nasty look.

"Guys, I know this is hard, and I don't like that you guys had to see Valentin hurt me like this, but Rocco, that wasn't fair to say that to Charlotte."

"Charlotte, honey, what do you want? I know you said to Dante you want to live with us, is that what you still want?"

"Yeah, but I have bad dreams. I have bad dreams that Papa and Nina take me away and you get hurt again and die, or they hurt me like that so you can't have me."

Lulu tried not to let the hurt and anger over what this was doing to her family get to her, but she couldn't help it. She knew that's what Dante wasn't telling her when he said Charlotte was having a bad dream.

"Okay guys, ya know what? Let's wait to talk about this when Dante gets home okay? I'm getting very tired."

"Mommy, did I do that? I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." Charlotte said looking at her mother guiltily.

"You both did nothing wrong. It's just been hard for all of us to deal with."

"Sorry. Do you want us to go in our room now?" Rocco asked.

"You can, but I want a hug from my two favorite people in the whole world. Come here." Lulu said, as she pulled both her kids in a loving hug.

"Mommy, I love you, and we promise, we'll be good so that none of us will make you mad or sad anymore." Rocco said giving her a kiss.

"I love you both so much!" Lulu said kissing each one on the forehead before they went to play. As soon as they left, the tears came. Not just because of what Charlotte said, but Charlotte and Rocco had been handling things so well, and the trial was going to bring up all their emotions about the events surrounding Lulu's shooting. Lulu felt sick. She knew that seeing a parent getting shot was nothing a child should have to see. Should she not have taken Rocco out trick or treating that night? Should she just allowed Dante to take him out later when he came home from work? Was she being a horrible mother for getting pregnant before the shooting happened? Her mind wouldn't stop playing tricks on her as she sat crying on the couch. Then, her stomach was making flip flop motions making her very dizzy. She ran to the bathroom and threw up. Just then, Dante came home.

"Hey guys I'm home!" he said heading to the bathroom. When he saw the door closed and heard Lulu, he began to get concerned.

"Lulu are you okay? Can I come in?" Dante said gently opening the door.

"Dante, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." Lulu said in between throwing up and her sobs.

"Baby, what happened? Are you done throwing up? Here. Let me help you." Dante said sweetly brushing her hair back from her face.

"I'm doing everything wrong starting from when I got pregnant and then when I took Rocco trick or treating that night."

Dante heard enough and washed her face. Then, he slowly walked Lulu to the couch where they both sat down.

"Woah! Baby don't blame yourself. You had no idea that a sick freak was gonna come and shoot you on a perfectly normal Halloween night. That's a night for kids to eat a lot of candy and show off their costumes for everyone to see. You shouldn't feel guilty about taking our son out or getting pregnant. Valentin and Nina are just evil like all the cassadines, and I'm really hoping that they won't get Charlotte in their custody ever again. What brought this on anyway? Let me get you some water." Dante said getting up from the couch.

"Well, I was talking to the kids because I wanted to let them know about the trial. Rocco asked if this meant that Valentin was gonna take Charlotte away from us and said he didn't want Charlotte going with him because of what he did to me. Charlotte got upset, so I asked her what she wanted to do. She said she wants to live with us, but she has bad dreams where either I get killed, or she gets killed by Nina or Valentin to send the message that if they can't have her, no one can. She didn't say that in those many words, but you get the point."

Dante got chills down his spine.

"Shit! I tried to avoid that just by telling you that Charlotte had that one bad dream. I thought if I left it at that, it wouldn't be brought up again. I'm sorry baby. Want to talk to the kids together?"

"No. I just want a hug." Lulu said while a new threat of tears began dripping down her face.

"It's okay baby. Come here." Dante said, hugging her and rubbing her back.

"Why don't you lie down for a bit and I'll pick up some dinner for us okay?"

"Okay." Lulu said relaxing on the couch.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I don't know. I don't know if I can eat too much. Maybe, a cup of soup."

"Okay. I'll do you one better. I'll take the kids with me and we'll pick up the dinners together. How's that?"

"That's perfect."

As Dante and the kids drove to Kelly's in silence, he was trying to think of how he could approach them with what happened earlier with their mother. She was obviously very upset, and if he were truly being honest with himself, he was anxious too. Everyone would be on edge until the trial was over whether it went in Dante and Lulu's favor or Valentin and Nina's favor. As soon as they arrived at Kelly's, he went and put their orders in.. As they waited for their dinners, Laura came in.

"Oh Dante! How are you?"

"Oh, come here kids. How are you all doing today?" Laura said kissing Rocco and Charlotte.

"Good." They both said in unison.

"Laura, can I talk to you for a minute? It has to do with Lulu and the kids."

"Oh no. Is Lulu alright?" Laura asked in concern.

"Yeah, she's fine. It's mainly about Charlotte."

"Okay. Let's go to a booth and talk."

"Hey, Charlotte and Rocco, stay by the counter where I can see you, okay?"

"okay." They obeyed.

"Okay, what's going on with Charlotte?"

"Well, Christmas night after Lulu and I put the presents together, I told her that Charlotte had a bad dream. I didn't tell her what it was about, but today, Lulu was trying to prepare them for the trial. Rocco wanted to know what this meant for Charlotte and told Lulu he didn't want her to go with Nina and Valentin because he didn't like him, rightfully so for what he did to his mother. Charlotte got upset, so as a way to diffuse the situation, Lulu asked her where she wanted to live. Charlotte said that she wanted to live with us, but she was afraid that Valentin and Nina would either kill Lulu, or they would kill Charlotte to send the message that if they couldn't have her permanently, nobody could have her."

"Oh no! That poor girl." Laura said wanting to take this pain from all of them.

"Laura, when she's slept over your house, has she told you anything about having nightmares like that?"

"When the shooting first happened, she did, but as things slowed down and Lulu came home, the nightmares subsided, and she was fine. I think knowing the trial's coming up is making not only you and Lulu anxious, but it's making the kids anxious too. I think the best thing you both can do as Charlotte and Rocco's parents is to keep telling them to express how they're feeling to you and trying your best to reassure them that everything will be alright, and things will work out."

"I can see why all of your kids would come to you for advice. You do have a way of seeing the good in every situation just like my mother, except you don't hover and have unhealthy boundaries." Dante said cracking a smile.

"Oh, thank you honey. Let me know if there's anything I can do for all of you."

"Thanks Laura."

"So, how was Lulu taking what Charlotte said?"

"When I came home, she was so upset, she made herself sick. I told her to rest while I grabbed dinner, and that's what she's doing right now."

"oh good. Well, you just keep her relaxed, and I'll call her later. If not tonight, I'll call her tomorrow."

Just then, the waitress called Dante to get his order.

"Well… that's my order. Thanks again Laura and have a good night."

"You're welcome, and I mean it. If there's anything I can do for you all, I'm there."

"We'll probably take you up on that." Dante said, getting up to go to the counter where the kids were impatiently waiting.

"Sorry guys, I know you're hungry. Here I come." Dante said grabbing the bags and paying.

"Yay! Now we can go home and eat!" Rocco exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah we can. Let's go."

They all went in the car and drove home. Dante felt better talking to Laura. She did have a way of doing that and coming just at the right time when people needed her, and that's what he loved about her. When they got out of the car, Dante sat the bags of food on the kitchen counter and checked in on Lulu while Rocco and Charlotte got washed up.

"Lulu? You awake?" Dante said quietly walking to the couch. When he heard no answer, he gently shook her shoulder to wake her up.

"Dante? Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I fell asleep." Lulu said letting out a yawn before stretching.

"It's okay baby. I have your soup. Want to eat it now or a little later?"

"I'll eat it later. I want to catch a few more winks. I'm pretty tired. I guess all that crying drained me."

"Oh okay. Want me to take you upstairs?"

"Nope I can make it. I'll come down in a few hours." Thanks for dinner babe." Lulu said getting up off the couch.

"You're welcome."

A few minutes later, Rocco, Dante and Charlotte sat down to dinner and talked about their day. When Lulu finally woke up, the kids were getting ready for bed and making sure they had everything ready for school the next day. When the kids fell asleep, Lulu was cleaning up from her dinner and both she and Dante decided to turn in early for the night.

On Thursday, Dianne wanted to meet with Dante and Lulu to discuss final preparations for the trial, as it was going to start on Friday. She was hoping the trial wouldn't last longer than a day because she wanted the trial to go as smoothly as possible. They ended up meeting at the Metro Court for lunch to discuss everything.

"Ah Dante and Lulu! I've been in regular communication with Miss. Watkins, and she informed me that everything with the adoption is going smoothly."

"That's great!" Dante said.

"Now, I don't want to do this but if Valentin and Nina don't make things easy for us, I think we should get the kids testimonies. Most judges have sympathy for the kids when it comes to stuff like this, and with Rocco and Charlotte's cases especially seeing as they saw their mother getting shot, which is making Charlotte consider living with you and agreeing to the adoption, I think the judge will grant you custody on her testimony alone."

"I think if worse comes to worse, that's exactly what you should do." Lulu said.

"I don't know. I mean, to have a kid reliving that horrible day… wouldn't that kind of mess the kid up? "Dante asked in concern.

"well, that's why I'm hoping Valentin and Nina won't make things hard, so it has to come to that."

"I just don't know if that's a good idea. Charlotte's been very upset about this, and I don't want Rocco and Charlotte to have to relive that horrible night again."

"Dante, but if it's gonna help us, then, maybe we should." Lulu said anxiously.

"Baby, I get it that you're scared and desperate to make sure that everything goes in our favor so that they have no choice, but to have Charlotte get adopted by me, and I'm not saying I don't want it, but we need to do things the legal way, and not out of desperation."

"Dante's right. Let's just leave things as they are for now, and if we need the kids, we can do it with Miss. Watkins or Kevin Collins present while we deal with the court. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes. Thank you, Dianne. I'm sorry I just want our lives to get back to normal again." Lulu said with a sigh.

"I know and believe me; I want that for you too. Rest up, because tomorrow's going to be a big day! Good luck." Dianne said as she went to go pay the check for Dante and Lulu.

The next day while Dante and Lulu were getting ready for the trial, Olivia came early to get the kids off to school. She offered to let them stay with her at the Quartermain mansion for the night in case Dante and Lulu were too exhausted. They thanked her and she wished them good luck before she left.

At 8:45 in the morning, Dante and Lulu stood at the court house waiting for everyone else. Just then, Dianne, Valentin, Nina and their lawyer arrived. As soon as the doors opened, they were able to get inside.

Right at 9 in the morning, things were ready to begin. Both lawyers gave their opening statements, and when that was done, they were able to call their first witness. Since Valentin's Lawyer was the prosecutor, he went first.

"Okay Mr. Davis, your first witness?" Judge Carson said.

"I call Valentin Cassadine to the stand." Nina squeezed his hand before he stood up. She wanted to go up with him but thought better of it.

"Mr. Cassadine, please state your name for the court."

"Valentin Cassadine." He said confidently.

"And do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do, your honor."

"You may proceed Mr. Davis."

"Alright. Now Valentin, you raised Charlotte since she was born. Would you say she had a happy childhood?"

"Yes. She was a very happy child, even when she was a baby."

"How did she react upon finding out Lulu was her mother? That had to be traumatic for a child."

"She didn't like her at first, but then, the more time she spent with her, the more she got to like Lulu."

"Isn't it true that you and Lulu tried fighting for custody soon after that?"

"Yes. She wanted custody, and she wanted full custody, but Charlotte wanted to stay with Nina and me. You see, I've been the one constant parent in her life, and she knew who she felt comfortable with."

Lulu made a smirk to herself in disgust.

"Now, can you tell me what happened on October 31, 2018?"

"Yes. Nina and I took Charlotte trick or treating. She was Snow White. She saw Lulu and wanted to go to her. I allowed her to go see her, and some man came out of the bushes and accidently shot her." Just then, Lulu stood up looking very scared.

"That's not true! That's not how it happened at all, and you know it!" Lulu screamed before the judge grabbed her gabble.

"Order in the court!"

"I think we're going to take a short recess because there's obviously some added stress and it seems like Ms. Miller needs to control her client."

"Control? You want me to control myself? I think I have every right to be upset. This bastard shot me in front of my kids, and you want me to control myself? I could have lost my life because of him, and the kids could have lost their m—" and with that, lulu collapsed to the floor.

"Oh my God! Lulu can you hear me? Lulu come on baby. Wake up." Dante said in concern, but no answer.

"Somebody please help me! Lulu passed out and she's not waking up! Don't just stand there, dammit, help me! Call 911."

Just then, Laura, Bobbie and Elizabeth all walked over to Dante and Lulu.

"Lulu? Can you hear me sweetheart? I'm here honey. Open your eyes and talk to me. That's all you have to do honey. Come on." Laura said soothingly.

"Okay, let's everyone stay back while Elizabeth and I look at her." Bobbie said.

"Okay Lulu, let me take your blood pressure."

"Bobbie, her face is swollen, I think she might have pre-eclampsia." Elizabeth said looking concerned.

"What's that" Dante said getting scared now.

"It's a condition brought on by extreme high blood pressure, and it could be fatal if we don't get her to the hospital."

"How do we treat it?" Dante wondered.

"Well, the real sure way to treat it, if this is what it is by giving Lulu a c-section, which means the baby would have to come out." Bobbie said.

"But she's almost seven months. Isn't it too early?"

"It is, but if this is what she has, aa aww can't lower her blood pressure, we could all lose her. Elizabeth said sadly.

"Fuck!" Dante exclaimed. He lost his friend and partner not even a year ago yet, aa ahh could lose his wife too? He wouldn't stand for that! Lulu had to be okay. If she could survive Valentin's attack, surely, she could survive high blood pressure and a c-section if that's what it took.

Just then, the ambulance came and loaded Lulu onto the stretcher. Laura, Bobbie and Elizabeth all agreed to meet the ambulance there while Dante rode with her in the ambulance. Dante watched helplessly as they all tried to www woo Lulu who still hadn't regained consciousness.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. Nero was there waiting for them and immediately got Lulu started on IV fluids and medication to lower her blood pressure. She also informed Dante that if they couldn't get her blood pressure down, she could suffer a seizure, suffer a stroke, or worse, die. Dante couldn't believe what he was hearing, and so he went to the chapel and began to prey.

He was glad that he was the only one in the chapel because as he lit a candle and knelt in a pew, he began to cry. After all they've been through and had come through the obstacles stronger and better than ever, there could be a possibility he would raise the kids all by himself without Lulu? That couldn't be! He would make sure that wouldn't happen. Lulu was a fighter and would prove it to everyone just how resourceful she really was.

Just then, Laura tapped him on the shoulder. She looked very tired. He didn't know how much time had passed while he was sitting there, but he knew it had to be a few hours.

"Dante, Lulu's awake. They got her blood pressure, but they think the trial's going to be too stressful for her, so they are advising that she doesn't attend anymore.

"I can do you one better." Dianne said happily.

"The judge pulled me aside after everything she witnessed today, and automatically terminated Valentin and Nina's rights to Charlotte. It was easier than we all thought, because Valentin and Nina are filing for divorce and so she wouldn't have any rights to her either. Nina tried to protest, but the judge saw to it that they wouldn't get her ever again, so congratulations Dante, you're officially Charlotte's adopted father." Dianne said giving him the adoption papers to sign.

"Wow! Thank you so much! I'll tell Lulu the good news when she's okay to go home."

"I think that's a good idea." Laura agreed.

"I'm gonna go and get some dinner. I'm hungry and exhausted." Laura said letting out a yawn.

"Okay. I'm gonna go and sit with Lulu."

As Dante went into Lulu's room, a smile spread across his face. He couldn't believe things happened so easy for them right now. Nothing ever happened this for them in Port Charles. Everything with Charlotte seemed to be stacked against them, and just like that, lulu has a serious health scare, and the judge grants him custody and the adoption went through all in one day? Dante believed in miracles just the same, but he knew that when Lulu woke up, she would believe in the idea of miracles now. This truly was an unexpected miracle for Dante and Lulu, aa ahh couldn't be happier.

"Baby, can you wake up? I have something very important to tell you, but if you want to hear it, you have to open your eyes. Can you try? It has to do with the trial and Charlotte." Just then, lulu's alarms went crazy and Dante ran out of the room.

"I need some help in here! I went to talk to Lulu, and her alarms are going crazy! Help!"

Dr. Nero came in the room with a bunch of nurses.

"Dante, you're going to need to leave the room. We may have a problem." Dr. Nero said.

r the format; I'm blind, so formatting isn't a specialty, and as I was writing, the page numbers were changing. I don't think it's almost95 pages, so try not to pay attention to the format and enjoy this chapter. 😊 Keep the reviews coming!


	12. Chapter 12

Un Expected Miracles Chapter 12

Dante sat in the waiting room while Dr. Nero and a lot of the nurses came to check what was going on with Lulu. She had woken up for a little while when Laura came in the room and fell back asleep. Dante kept thinking of the endless possibilities that could go wrong. How could he raise this child all by himself? Sure, he'd have Sonny, Olivia and the rest of his family, but Lulu was the glue that held their family together. She loved Rocco and Charlotte so much and she finally had the chance to have her own biological child with Dante, which was the one thing that made her family complete, so how could she let that all slip away? Was she really going to allow Valentin to win this way? In the midst of his thoughts, he didn't hear who came in the room to talk to him. It was Sonny.

"Dante, how's Lulu? I heard what happened at the trial."

"Valentin and Nina. That's what happened. God! I hate them!Dante said in frustration.

"Did they hurt her?"

"Of course they did. Not in the way you think; they stressed her out to the max. I think that's what the damn lawyer wanted all along, but it's okay. Valentin and Nina got their rights automatically terminated."

"well, that's good. Now, how you holding up? You look terrible. Let me get you something to eat. You know Olivia will have my head if I don't take care of you."

"Oh, I'm fine. I'll eat and sleep when I know Lulu's okay." Dante sniffed.

"Okay. Can I at least get you something to drink?"

"What I want, you can't give me, so I guess I'll just have coffee."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Sonny said giving dante a pat on the back.

Just then, Dr. Nero came to talk to Dante to give him an update on Lulu.

"Dante, I have an update for you. Its not as serious as we had expected. Her blood pressure is slowly coming down, but she's not out of the woods yet. We want to keep her in the hospital over night or longer depending on how low we can get her blood pressure. It's very high, but we were able to save her in time."

"Is she awake? Can I see her?" Dante asked hopefully.

"You can see her, but don't cause her any stress. I think one more thing that gets added to her stress could be lifethreatening to the health of mother and baby."

"Okay. I won't. I promise. Can I update everyone?"

"Of course you can. Just go see your wife. When you tell Lulu's family and friends, make sure to tell them that visiters will be limited so as not to cause more stress."

"Okay. I will. Thanks dr. Nero."

Dante went into Lulu's room, where she was sound asleep. Given she was sleeping, he sat on the chair next to the bed and held her hand.

"Lulu, I'm so sorry if I caused your blood pressure to go up again. I didn't mean to. I wanted to give you the good news, but I'll wait until you come home okay? I love you. Everyone's gonna be so glad to hear that you're getting better. All you need to do now is just relax. I promise, everything's gonna be okay now."

Just then, Lulu woke up and was looking around. She saw the IVS in her arm and Dante right there. Her head didn't throb the way it had prior to her passing out.

"Dante? How long have I been here?"

"You've been here all morning. It's now 6 at night."

"Oh my God! Are the kids okay?"

"They're fine. Remember? They're staying with Ma."

"Oh yeah. That's right. So, what's gonna happen with the trial? I can't believe I acted like that."

"Right now, I think you just need to rest and let me worry about the trial. Don't worry; I'm not trying to treat you with kid gloves, because as soon as you're able to go home, I'll tell you what happened."

"Okay. You look like hell."

"I'm tired. You gave us quite a scare. I'm gonna call Maxie and Laura to let them know how you're doing. Lulu, I love you."

"I love you too. Now, can you do me a favor? Can you go home, take a shower and go to sleep? I promise; I'll be fine." Lulu said reassuringly.

"I don't wanna leave you baby." Dante said worriedly.

"Dante, I'm gonna be fine. There are nurses and doctors all over the place. I'll be fine."

"Okay. I'll go home as soon as you go back to sleep. How are you feeling?"

"Well, I'm a little tired, but I'm okay. I feel a little weak too. Can you do me a favor? Can you get me a glass of water?"

"Yeah. There's a picher of water right here." Dante said getting Lulu a glass of water.

"Can you sit up?"

"Dante, I'm fine. I can sit up. You don't have to hover that much."

"Sorry. I can't help it. I get worried when you get hurt." He said handing her the glass of water.

"Do you need anything else?" Dante asked while Lulu was putting her head back on the pillow.

"Nope. I just need you to get out of here and eat something before you go to bed. Let someone take care of you, or go home and take care of yourself, but Dante, you look like crap, and I know you won't admit it, but I know I'm right."

"I'll let you have this one. I am tired. It's been a very long day. We could have lost you and the baby."

"I wasn't gonna give up that easy. I'm Luke Spencer's daughter and I still have a lot of fight left."

"Well, that's good. Okay, I'm gonna go home now. Be good. I'll have my phone on me okay? I have to make a phone call first."

"Okay. Bye Dante. I love you. See you tomorrow." Lulu said before Dante closed the door and went to place a call to Sonny.

Sonny was in the middle of reading a story to Avery when his phone rang. When he went to see who it was, he saw the picture of Dante on his screen and answered it.

"Hello Dante? What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you could put a guard outside Lulu's room? I have to go home because visiting hours are almost over and I want to make sure she has all the security she can."

"Say no more. It's already done." Sonny said as he hung up the phone.

Dante on a normal day wouldn't ask Sonny to put guards on anyone, but in this case, he wanted to make sure Lulu was protected, even if it meant relying on Sonny. He never liked that he worked for the Mob, but he knew that he and Lulu were family, and because she was family to Sonny, he would make sure she was safe. After hanging up from talking to Sonny, Dante grabbed a beer from the fridge and ordered a pizza for himself. He was thinking of Nathan and decided to call Michael.

Michael was working at ELQ when his cell phone rang. He was just finishing up with work for the evening.

"Dante! What's up? How's Lulu? Michael asked.

"She's gonna be okay. Wanna come by my place and have a beer with your brother and pig out on pizza?"

"Sure. I'll be there in about twenty minutes. That good?" Michael asked.

"that works out perfectly."

"Okay. See you soon." Dante said hanging up the phone.

Twenty minutes later, Michael was at Dante's house. Dante sat on the couch with the box of pizza on the table. They talked about Lulu, and how the pregnancy was coming along and Michael filled Dante in on everything that was going on with him, both personally and professionally. After the pizza was gone, Dante grew sleepy, and Michael noticing how tired he looked decided to go home. They exchanged pats on the back and well wishes, and he closed the door.

One month later:

Once February came, blizzards were seeming to be predicted all the time, and it felt as if this winter would never end. Lulu was getting increasingly uncomfortable the more the pregnancy progressed. Dr. Nero said she needed to be on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy, which drove her crazy. Things didn't help though when Maxie asked her to come to Arora Media to take her out for dinner. Lulu was in for a nice surprise when she had arrived.

When she arrived at the Metro Court, Maxie stopped her and led her into the restaurant.

"Maxie, you're acting weird. What's going on? I don't like the look on your face."

"Oh me? Acting weird? Nope; everything's fine. We're just having dinner tonight. I haven't been that good of a friend and I figured I owed you a good time."

"Maxie, you're fine. Let's just enjoy tonight, whatever you have planned. I know there's more to your dinner plans."

When Lulu arrived, Everyone came out of their hiding places and yelled, "Surprise!"

Lulu was stunned. A baby shower? When did they plan this? How did they do it without her knowing? She was very happy.

"Oh my God you guys! Thank you for this surprise!"

"Anything for my best friend. Oh and by the way, I planned the whole thing. Olivia was on food duty, and Carly, Bobbie, Laura and I helped with the decorations, and Sam helped me with the gifts." Maxie said with delight.

Everyone sat down to eat before everyone gathered around to get the gifts. Sam gave Lulu a blanket that was neutral colors because she didn't know what she was having. She figured since she had Danny and Scout, neutral colors would be a good way to go. Olivia gave Lulu a nice pare of baby booties. Carly gave her a lot of gifts and so did Laura. Elizabeth was also there and gave her quite a few gifts as well. Elizabeth gave her some bags of diapers, a container of formula in case she didn't want to breastfeed or couldn't, and she also gave her sippy cups for when the baby gets older. Lulu began to cry seeing all the gifts and all the effort that all her friends and family put into this shower.

"Okay guys, now, it's time for Lulu to cut the cake!" Sam said happily. She cut the cake and everyone dug in.

As everything was winding down,Lulu thanked everyone for coming and putting this together for her. Everyone kissed her before everyone left. At that moment, Dante came in the restaurant to grab a quick bite to eat. When he saw Maxie and Lulu cleaning up from the shower with Carly's help, he knew exactly what they were up to. He wanted to get Lulu home, as the weather was predicting more blizzard conditions and a weather advisory was being placed all over the state of New York from now until late tomorrow. He helped put all the gifts in the car and then collected Lulu.

When they got home, Lulu was exhausted. She just wanted to go to bed while Dante handled the kids. Since the trial fiasco was over, everyone was adjusting fine. Lulu began to feel as if everything was finally going back to normal. The only thing that Dante needed to do was put the crib together, and as Lulu was napping and the kids were playing in their room, he took full advantage of that.

\- Later that night, after the kids had gone to bed, Dante was getting a bit worried about Lulu. She hadn't wanted to come down for dinner, and she was still exhausted from the day. He did notice that something wasn't right because she would periodically wake up to rush to the bathroom. He didn't know if she was going to be sick or what, so by midnight, as the bathroom trips got more frequent, he decided to see what was really going on.

"Lulu, what's going on? You okay? Dante said knocking on the door.

"Um… yeah. I think I'm in—Ow!"

"What. What hurts, baby. I'll make it better; just tell me what's wrong." Suddenly, he began to pay attention, and he noticed Lulu squatting and moaning.

"Dante, I'm in labor, and it's snowing. I don't think we're gonna make it to the hospit—ow!"

"How can you be so calm about this? You have to make it to the hospital. I'll call the perametics right now, and I'll use my connections and we'll get there fast."

"Shit! There's no time. My water broke, and I feel like I have to push. We won't make it even if I wanted to."

"Wait! So, what does this mean?"

"Are you fucking stupid Dante? Use your god damn brain! It means I'm having this fricking baby at home, and you can't stop me, because here it comes!"

Dante didn't know what to do. Were the Spencers always this calm like this? Of course, Lulu being the adventurous woman she was would love the fact that she was giving birth to their son or daughter at home in a blizzard. The baby was due early March, so the timing wasn't an issue, but he was scared. A short while later, Dante heard the sweetest sound in the world. A baby was crying and Lulu had a huge smile on her face.

"Dante, it's okay. Look."

"Look at what? The blood? I can't. I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Oh come on. You're a detective. You see blood all the time. I'm talking about the baby. Look!" lulu said holding the baby up.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Dante said putting his head in between his knees.

"Okay. Well, I guess I have to tell you what it is, and then you're getting me and the baby cleaned up. Okay?"

"wait. With your blood pressure, how were you able to do it like this?"

"Well, I've been a good girl. I've been on bedrest, and I listened to you when you wanted Elizabeth to come over every other day to check me out. I saw how you looked during my last hospital stay, and I knew I scared you. Now, ready for the best part?"

"Yeah. What is it?" Dante wondered, still shocked at how brave and beautiful Lulu was with everything she had gone through lately.

"Congratulations Daddy! You are the proud father to a little boy!" Lulu said with a smile on her face.

"A boy? Really? Oh my God! This is great!"

"Now, help me up so that I can clean him up. He's gonna be cold, so we need to wrap him in a towel."

"Okay. I can do that." Dante said.

A few minutes later, Lulu and the baby were all cleaned up and in their bedroom. Lulu wanted to try to nurse the baby, and as she did so, they were discussing names.

"Okay Dante, wanna do the honors of picking out a name for this little guy?" Lulu asked looking down at her son who was latched on nicely.

"Well, actually, yeah. I do. What do you think of the name, Nathan Michael?"

"Nathan Michael? After Nathan and Michael after your brother? I love it!"

"Oh wait, but I forgot. You wanted to name the baby Nikolas or Nicole , didn't you." Dante said apologetically.

"It's okay Dante. Nathan was your best friend and partner, and you didn't have to say it, but I know you've been thinking about him a lot. Plus, I think the baby likes it. What do you think, Nathan, do you like your name?" Lulu cooed in a singsong voice.

"I think it's settled. Oh look! He's falling asleep. Why don't you take him, and now that I'm feeling a bit more steady, I'm gonna get the diapers to put on him."

As Lulu got up, Dante took this opportunity to get to know his son.

"Hey buddy, Listen. I'm gonna tel you a little story about the man you are named after. He was very smart, and was a great cop. He always made sure the citizens of this city were safe and protected, and that's what I'm gonna do for you. I love you little man." Dante said getting teary at the memory of Nathan. Just then, Lulu came back. When she saw Dante and the baby, she didn't want to interrupt their exchange. She gently slipped the diaper in Dante's hand and he instinctively knew exactly what to do. He put the diaper on him, and the baby just sat in his arms looking very content. Finally, everything fell into place for them as a family, and they ended up getting their miracle they had always wanted. Of course, both Lulu and Dante loved charlotte and Rocco, but they wanted to have a child that was biologically there's without any manipulations and fights to try to get the children back where they belonged, and now they had their miracle. They knew that if they could get through what they had gone through lately, nothing seemed impossible, as long as they were all together as a family.


End file.
